Dr. Michael Sonabend, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Sonabend
Dr. Michael Sonabend is an optician specialist in Sugar Land, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sonabend performed 4,115 Medicare services across 2,319 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sonabend received a total of $205,891 from 47 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1253 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Sonabend 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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.
| Procedure | Volume | Avg. paid | Avg. submitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destruction of precancerous skin growths, 2-14 | 1,063 | $5 | $18 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growth, 1 | 708 | $33 | $196 |
| Tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity | 662 | $25 | $50 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 604 | $58 | $171 |
| Skin biopsy, tangential | 362 | $58 | $250 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 247 | $82 | $253 |
| Destruction of skin growths (warts/lesions), 1-14 | 150 | $68 | $199 |
| Biopsy of related skin growth, each additional growth | 65 | $39 | $195 |
| Intermediate repair of wound of scalp, underarms, trunk, arms, or legs, 2.6-7.5 cm | 46 | $215 | $745 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 35 | $66 | $255 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 31 | $65 | $392 |
| Biopsy of ear | 25 | $51 | $254 |
| Removal of cancer skin growth of body, arms, or legs, 1.1-2.0 cm | 20 | $95 | $598 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) | 19 | $1 | $15 |
| Injection into skin growth, 1-7 growths | 16 | $29 | $137 |
| Removal of cancer skin growth of body, arms, or legs, 2.1-3.0 cm | 15 | $108 | $679 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) | 14 | $37 | $102 |
| Removal of noncancer skin growth of body, arms, or legs, 1.1-2.0 cm | 11 | $67 | $393 |
| Destruction of cancer skin growth of trunk, arms, or legs, 1.1-2.0 cm | 11 | $126 | $424 |
| Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, moderately low complexity | 11 | $24 | $50 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (88%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in optician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for optician in TX.
Geographic Context
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | Weekly updates |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | Monthly updates |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not public | N/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. Sonabend is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 16% in TX), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 2% of TX peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.
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. Sonabend experienced with destruction of precancerous skin growths, 2-14?
Does Dr. Sonabend receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Sonabend's costs compare to other opticians in Sugar Land?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
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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.
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