Medicare Enrolled

Dr. David Chau, O.D.

Vision Therapy Optometrist · Sugar Land, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
19875 SOUTHWEST FWY STE 180, Sugar Land, TX 77479
7184580713
In practice since 2012 (13 years)
NPI: 1306199328 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. Chau 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. Chau? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Chau

Dr. David Chau is a vision therapy optometrist in Sugar Land, TX, with 13 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Chau performed 273 Medicare services across 148 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Chau received a total of $4,175 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 67 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in vision therapy optometrist. 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. Chau 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.

✓ 13 years in practice▲ Top 48% volume in TX$ $4,175 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
273
Medicare services
Top 48% in TX for vision therapy optometrist
148
Unique beneficiaries
$231
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~21 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
Microfluid analysis of tears67$22$25
Placement of amniotic membrane on eye surface for wound healing50$1,014$1,800
Photography of content of eyes30$16$50
Destruction of growth of eyelid margin, 1.0 cm or less29$130$500
Retinal photography (fundus photo)25$25$85
Eye exam, established patient, focused24$61$90
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)21$90$175
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient16$96$150
Comprehensive eye exam, new patient11$107$200
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 ↗
$4,175
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $596/year across 7 years
Top 6% in TX for vision therapy optometrist
23
Companies
67
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
$4,132 (99.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$43 (1.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,339
2023
$362
2022
$457
2021
$438
2020
$337
2019
$661
2018
$580

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$587
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$411
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$391
Optos, Inc.
$308
Carl Zeiss Meditec USA, Inc.
$307
Alcon Vision LLC
$300
Dompe US, Inc.
$260
OPTOS, INC.
$204
Shire North American Group Inc
$200
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$177
CooperVision Inc.
$153
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$126
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$124
RxSight Inc
$106
LKC Technologies, Inc.
$96
TISSUETECH, INC.
$95
Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$91
Glaukos Corporation
$89
Notal Vision, Inc.
$43
Allergan, Inc.
$36
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$29
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$26
Eyevance Pharmaceuticals LLC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 33.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ALDEN SCLERAL ZENLENS · BIOTRUE · BIOTRUE ONE DAY · CE-marked KXLA system · CEQUA · CIRRUS HD-OCT · Cequa · Clear Care · DAILIES · Flarex · ILUX · INFUSE · INFUSE MULTIFOCAL · LIGHT ADJUSTABLE LENS (LAL) AND LIGHT DELIVERY DEVICE (LDD) · LUMERA 700 · MIEBO · MiSight Contact Lens · Monaco · MyDay Contact Lens · NFC-700 · OXERVATE · P200DTx · PROKERA · RESTASIS MULTIDOSE · Rhopressa · Systane · TOTAL30 · TearCare · XDEMVY · XIIDRA
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for vision therapy optometrist in TX.

Equivalent to $1,529 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a vision therapy optometrist in Sugar Land?
Compare vision therapy optometrists in the Sugar Land area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Vision Therapy Optometrists within 10 mi
6
Per 100K population
0.7
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. Chau is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 6%).

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. Chau experienced with microfluid analysis of tears?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Chau performed 67 microfluid analysis of tears 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. Chau receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Chau received a total of $4,175 from 23 companies across 67 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. Chau's costs compare to other vision therapy optometrists in Sugar Land?
Dr. Chau's average Medicare payment per service is $231. 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. Chau) 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 →