Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Darine Kassar, M.D.

Neurology · Sugar Land, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
16605 SOUTHWEST FWY STE 600, Sugar Land, TX 77479
7132542421
In practice since 2009 (16 years)
NPI: 1902035686 verify on NPPES ↗
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating. This page presents federal public records about Dr. Kassar from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
Are you Dr. Kassar? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Kassar

Dr. Darine Kassar is a neurology in Sugar Land, TX, with 16 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kassar performed 368 Medicare services across 315 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kassar received a total of $4,460 from 26 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 189 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurology. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Kassar is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 16 years in practice▲ 368 Medicare services$ $4,460 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
368
Medicare services
Bottom 42% in TX for neurology
315
Unique beneficiaries
$91
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~23 Medicare services per year of practice

Top procedures by volume

Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)170$93$242
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)59$66$166
Needle measurement of electrical activity in arm or leg muscles, complete study38$73$275
New patient office visit (45-59 min)38$122$364
New patient office visit (30-44 min)22$83$238
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)15$131$316
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity14$100$324
Nerve conduction, 5-6 studies12$102$320
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$4,460
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $743/year across 6 years
Top 41% in TX for neurology
26
Companies
189
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment profile

Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.

Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,460 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,146
2023
$1,075
2022
$33
2021
$92
2019
$999
2018
$114

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABBVIE INC.
$1,465
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$750
UCB, Inc.
$391
PFIZER INC.
$365
Biogen, Inc.
$318
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$305
EMD Serono, Inc.
$164
SI-BONE, INC.
$93
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$59
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
$56
Boston Scientific Corporation
$55
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$44
ARGENX US, INC.
$41
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$39
CSL Behring
$39
Grifols USA, LLC
$39
Lilly USA, LLC
$36
Amgen Inc.
$34
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$32
TG Therapeutics, Inc.
$25
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$23
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$21
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$20
PIRAMAL CRITICAL CARE
$18
GENZYME CORPORATION
$16
MITSUBISHI TANABE PHARMA AMERICA, INC.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 58.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIVA · AMYVID · BOTOX · BRIUMVI · Briviact · COMIRNATY · EMGALITY · EPIDIOLEX · GABLOFEN · Gamunex-C · HYQVIA · Hizentra · INGREZZA · KESIMPTA · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · MAVENCLAD · Mavenclad · NURTEC ODT · Ongentys · QULIPTA · RADICAVA · Radicava · Rystiggo · SPINRAZA · Soliris · TECFIDERA · TYSABRI · UBRELVY · ULTOMIRIS · UPLIZNA · VNS THERAPY SENTIVA MODEL 1000 GENERATOR · VRAYLAR · VYALEV · VYVGART HYTRULO · Xeomin
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →

Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $1,212 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a neurology in Sugar Land?
Compare neurologys in the Sugar Land area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurologys nearby

Geographic Context

Neurologys within 10 mi
332
Per 100K population
38.6
County median income
$113,409
Nearest hospital
HOUSTON METHODIST SUGARLAND HOSPITAL
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Kassar is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and low-engagement industry engagement, with 16 years of practice experience.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Kassar experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Kassar performed 170 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. Kassar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Kassar received a total of $4,460 from 26 companies across 189 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
How do Dr. Kassar's costs compare to other neurologys in Sugar Land?
Dr. Kassar's average Medicare payment per service is $91. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. Kassar) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →
About this page

All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.

This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. The Transparency Score measures data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

Data Disclaimer — Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Open Payments program, Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, and Provider Enrollment & Certification data (PECOS). Published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by CMS, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Data may contain errors as reported to CMS by providers and reporting entities. Payments from industry are legal and do not indicate wrongdoing. Medicare data reflects only patients aged 65+ or those with qualifying disabilities. For corrections, contact CMS directly. This information does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a healthcare provider. Procedure descriptions use plain language and do not reference CPT® codes, which are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Full methodology → · Report a data error → · Privacy policy →