Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Albert Hicks, M.D.

Internal Medicine · Temple, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
2401 S 31ST ST, Temple, TX 76508
2547242111
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1386808012 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. Hicks 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. Hicks? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Hicks

Dr. Albert Hicks is an internal medicine specialist in Temple, TX, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Hicks performed 608 Medicare services across 253 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Hicks received a total of $420,481 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 562 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in internal medicine. 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. Hicks 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.

✓ 17 years in practice ▲ 608 Medicare services $420,481 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
608
Medicare services
Bottom 47% in TX for internal medicine
253
Unique beneficiaries
$125
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~36 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.

Procedure Volume Avg. paid Avg. submitted
Critical care, first 30-74 min 187 $177 $430
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity 165 $99 $200
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) 91 $146 $280
Evaluation of lower heart chamber assist device 73 $33 $100
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 38 $66 $140
Initial hospital admission, high complexity 31 $144 $385
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 23 $183 $395
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 ↗
$420,481
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $60,069/year across 7 years
Top 0% in TX for internal medicine
21
Companies
562
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$286,011 (68.0%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$122,382 (29.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$12,087 (2.9%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$123,889
2023
$47,877
2022
$63,459
2021
$75,903
2020
$19,679
2019
$64,919
2018
$24,757

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$154,189
Abbott Laboratories
$77,335
Lilly USA, LLC
$58,977
CVRx, Inc.
$46,387
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$34,690
PFIZER INC.
$20,927
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$18,617
Vifor Pharma, Inc.
$2,404
Getinge USA Sales, LLC
$1,600
ABIOMED
$1,232
Novartis Pharma AG
$1,207
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,138
Ancora Heart, Inc.
$645
Novo Nordisk Inc
$370
Paragonix Technologies, Inc.
$160
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$131
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$119
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$113
Relypsa, Inc.
$106
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$98
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$38
Top 3 companies account for 69.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMVUTTRA · AccuCinch · Barostim Neo System · CARDIOMEMS · CRM-Research only · CardioMEMS HF System · Cardiohelp · Circulatory Support · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · FARXIGA · FUROSCIX · HeartMate · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev · HeartMate Touch · HeartWare HVAD · Impella · JARDIANCE · LCZ696B · LVAS IMPLANT KIT · LifeVest · Mitra Clip system · NEXLIZET · ONPATTRO · Other - MIS · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · THORATEC HEARTMATE II · VYNDAQEL · Veltassa · WAINUA · Wegovy
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 →

The majority of payments (68%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in internal medicine and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for internal medicine in TX.

Equivalent to $69,158 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an internal medicine specialist in Temple?
Compare internal medicine physicians in the Temple area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse internal medicine physicians nearby

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. Hicks is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 0% of TX peers, with 17 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. Hicks experienced with critical care, first 30-74 min?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Hicks performed 187 critical care, first 30-74 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. Hicks receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Hicks received a total of $420,481 from 21 companies across 562 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. Hicks's costs compare to other internal medicine physicians in Temple?
Dr. Hicks's average Medicare payment per service is $125. 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. Hicks) 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 →