Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Thomas Buzbee, M.D.
Internal Medicine · Tyler, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
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. Buzbee 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. Buzbee?
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What this data tells you about Dr. Buzbee
Dr. Thomas Buzbee is an internal medicine specialist in Tyler, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Buzbee performed 60,319 Medicare services across 26,864 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Buzbee received a total of $108,000 from 52 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1045 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. Buzbee 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.
✓ 19 years in practice
▲ Top 1% volume in TX
$108,000 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗60,319
Medicare services
Top 1% in TX for internal medicine
26,864
Unique beneficiaries
$26
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~3,175 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month | 4,792 | $44 | $70 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) | 4,363 | $8 | $10 |
| Comprehensive metabolic blood panel | 4,089 | $10 | $38 |
| Complete blood count (CBC) with differential | 3,925 | $8 | $28 |
| Free thyroxine (T4) test | 3,704 | $9 | $26 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test | 3,697 | $16 | $44 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) | 3,642 | $10 | $27 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) | 3,637 | $13 | $33 |
| Subsequent nursing facility care with straightforward level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 10 minutes | 2,031 | $30 | $68 |
| Dexamethasone injection (steroid) | 1,884 | $0 | $2 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) | 1,836 | $1 | $8 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 1,628 | $58 | $135 |
| Vitamin D level test | 1,579 | $29 | $75 |
| Vitamin B-12 level test | 1,554 | $15 | $36 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 1,040 | $82 | $190 |
| Urine microalbumin test (kidney screening) | 931 | $6 | $20 |
| Manual urinalysis test with examination using microscope, non-automated | 857 | $4 | $15 |
| Ferritin level test (iron stores) | 749 | $13 | $35 |
| Iron binding capacity test | 747 | $9 | $25 |
| Iron level test | 746 | $6 | $21 |
| Testosterone (hormone) level, total | 707 | $25 | $56 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test | 700 | $43 | $75 |
| PSA test (prostate cancer screening) | 695 | $18 | $52 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle | 688 | $10 | $49 |
| Extended-release steroid injection (Zilretta) | 640 | $13 | $34 |
| Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection | 628 | $0 | $6 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic | 561 | $135 | $485 |
| Drug screening test | 508 | $61 | $100 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up | 463 | $124 | $160 |
| Ultrasound of both sides of head and neck blood flow | 364 | $134 | $476 |
| Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg | 360 | $0 | $2 |
| Natriuretic peptide (heart and blood vessel protein) level | 346 | $38 | $70 |
| Injection, gadolinium-based magnetic resonance contrast agent, not otherwise specified (nos), per ml | 316 | $1 | $3 |
| Flu vaccine administration | 292 | $30 | $35 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views | 288 | $22 | $48 |
| Flu vaccine, quadrivalent | 288 | $76 | $100 |
| Bone density scan (DEXA) | 257 | $36 | $180 |
| Technetium tc-99m tetrofosmin, diagnostic, per study dose | 241 | $129 | $391 |
| Nuclear medicine studies of heart muscle at rest and with stress and spect | 239 | $316 | $665 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision and review by physician | 238 | $47 | $194 |
| Red blood cell sedimentation rate, to detect inflammation, non-automated | 235 | $4 | $16 |
| C-reactive protein test (inflammation marker) | 206 | $5 | $19 |
| Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 20 valent (pcv20), for intramuscular use | 185 | $283 | $554 |
| Prothrombin time test (blood clotting) | 169 | $4 | $17 |
| Pneumonia vaccine administration | 168 | $30 | $35 |
| 3D screening mammography (tomosynthesis) | 153 | $51 | $150 |
| Screening mammography | 153 | $122 | $230 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 141 | $9 | $42 |
| Complex chronic care management services for two or more chronic conditions, first 60 minutes of clinical staff time directed by health care professional, per calendar month | 136 | $90 | $150 |
| Creatine kinase (cardiac enzyme) level, total | 125 | $6 | $21 |
| Nursing facility visit, low complexity | 113 | $55 | $105 |
| Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians a | 111 | $31 | $55 |
| Prostate cancer screening; prostate specific antigen test (psa) | 108 | $19 | $52 |
| Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and | 104 | $38 | $61 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for influenza virus | 100 | $16 | $35 |
| Joint injection, major joint | 86 | $47 | $400 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views | 86 | $25 | $60 |
| Heart rhythm recording, analysis, report, review, and interpretation of continous external ekg over more than 48 hours up to 7 days | 70 | $190 | $700 |
| X-ray of knee, 4 or more views | 63 | $31 | $75 |
| Initial nursing facility care with moderate level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 35 minutes | 60 | $100 | $190 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 56 | $69 | $170 |
| Mri scan of brain without contrast | 54 | $150 | $788 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (covid-19) | 54 | $40 | $75 |
| Placement of skin electrodes and measurement of stimulated sites on arms and legs | 52 | $266 | $634 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 4-5 views | 51 | $33 | $75 |
| Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views | 51 | $21 | $61 |
| Injection of trigger points, 1-2 muscles | 50 | $33 | $125 |
| X-ray of knee, 1-2 views | 48 | $23 | $50 |
| Uric acid level test | 43 | $4 | $18 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growth, 1 | 40 | $50 | $145 |
| Mri scan of lower spinal canal without contrast | 40 | $149 | $771 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growths, 2-14 | 39 | $5 | $22 |
| Tc-99m from non-highly enriched uranium source, full cost recovery add-on, per study dose | 39 | $24 | $35 |
| Foot X-ray, 3+ views | 38 | $22 | $65 |
| Mri scan of upper spinal canal without contrast | 37 | $141 | $1,000 |
| Hip X-ray, 2-3 views | 36 | $31 | $75 |
| X-ray of both hips, 3-4 views | 36 | $32 | $80 |
| X-ray of sacrum and tailbone, minimum of 2 views | 34 | $18 | $65 |
| Amylase (enzyme) level | 32 | $6 | $21 |
| Lipase (fat enzyme) level | 31 | $7 | $24 |
| Mri scan of leg joint without contrast | 30 | $151 | $815 |
| X-ray of ankle, minimum of 3 views | 28 | $26 | $65 |
| Mri scan of arm joint without contrast | 27 | $161 | $805 |
| Testosterone (hormone) level, free | 26 | $25 | $55 |
| X-ray of hand, minimum of 3 views | 25 | $17 | $63 |
| Parathyroid hormone level test | 24 | $40 | $83 |
| Measurement of total estradiol (hormone) | 23 | $27 | $60 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for streptococcus, group a (strep) | 23 | $16 | $32 |
| Transitional care management services for problem of high complexity | 21 | $211 | $300 |
| Limited ultrasound scan of abdomen | 20 | $53 | $320 |
| Ultrasound study of one arm or leg veins with compression and maneuvers | 20 | $86 | $325 |
| Test to measure expiratory airflow and volume changes before and after medication administration | 20 | $29 | $122 |
| Test to determine lung volumes using gas dilution or washout | 20 | $32 | $99 |
| Test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases | 20 | $43 | $122 |
| X-ray of abdomen, 2 views | 19 | $25 | $55 |
| Thyroid hormone, t3 measurement, free | 19 | $17 | $40 |
| X-ray of middle spine, 2 views | 18 | $22 | $67 |
| Ultrasound of heart blood flow, valves and chambers | 18 | $39 | $145 |
| Ultrasound of heart with color-depicted blood flow, rate and valve function | 18 | $18 | $100 |
| Ultrasound of heart with continuous electrocardiogram (ecg) during rest, exercise and/or drug induced stress with review and report | 18 | $169 | $500 |
| Transitional care management services for problem of at least moderate complexity | 17 | $156 | $225 |
| Comprehensive assessment of and care planning for patients requiring chronic care management services (list separately in addition to primary monthly care management service) | 17 | $43 | $70 |
| Ultrasound scan of head and neck soft tissue | 16 | $73 | $225 |
| X-ray of wrist, minimum of 3 views | 15 | $29 | $70 |
| Test for exercise-induced lung stress | 15 | $22 | $53 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 15 | $110 | $258 |
| X-ray of abdomen, minimum of 3 views | 14 | $30 | $60 |
| Stool analysis for blood, by fecal hemoglobin determination by immunoassay | 14 | $16 | $45 |
| Gonadotropin, follicle stimulating (reproductive hormone) level | 14 | $18 | $43 |
| Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from medium joint | 13 | $36 | $220 |
| X-ray of ribs on side of body, 2 views | 13 | $28 | $66 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or artery grafts | 13 | $182 | $600 |
| Mri scan of brain before and after contrast | 12 | $254 | $1,303 |
| Chronic care management, additional 20 min/month | 11 | $26 | $56 |
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.
1.0% high complexity
13.8% medium
85.2% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$108,000
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $15,429/year across 7 years
Top 1% in TX for internal medicine
52
Companies
1,045
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
$99,775 (92.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$8,225 (7.6%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$21,261
2023
$12,486
2022
$31,965
2021
$6,223
2020
$13,430
2019
$14,961
2018
$7,673
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Amgen Inc.
$90,036
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$7,641
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$2,550
Novo Nordisk Inc
$1,144
PFIZER INC.
$885
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$771
ABBVIE INC.
$639
AbbVie Inc.
$628
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$597
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$327
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$320
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$296
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$263
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$203
Abbott Laboratories
$173
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$148
Allergan, Inc.
$148
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$143
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$120
Lundbeck LLC
$92
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$74
Lilly USA, LLC
$66
MAYNE PHARMA COMMERCIAL LLC
$64
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$62
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$42
AbbVie, Inc.
$41
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$36
Medtronic, Inc.
$34
ASSERTIO THERAPEUTICS, Inc.
$33
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$33
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$32
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$30
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$29
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$24
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$24
Noden Pharma USA Inc
$21
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$19
Nevro Corp.
$18
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$17
GENZYME CORPORATION
$17
Biogen, Inc.
$17
Allergan Inc.
$16
Exact Sciences Corporation
$15
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$15
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$14
Boston Scientific Corporation
$14
ITI, Inc.
$13
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$13
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$12
Genentech USA, Inc.
$12
Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc.
$12
Vertiflex, Inc.
$9
Top 3 companies account for 92.8% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIMOVIG · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · Aimovig · Amitiza · BELSOMRA · BREO · BREZTRI · CAPLYTA · CHANTIX · CREON · Cambia · Cologuard Collection Kit · Corlanor · DUEXIS · DUPIXENT · Dexilant · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EUCRISA · EVENITY · Edarbi · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · GEMTESA · Gralise · INPEN SMART INSULIN DELIVERY SYSTEM · INVOKANA · JANUMET XR · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · KRYSTEXXA · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LINZESS · LYRICA · Livalo · MYRBETRIQ · NEXLETOL · NEXLIZET · NURTEC ODT · Omnia · Otezla · Ozempic · PENNSAID · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · PREMARIN · PREMARIN ORALS · PREVNAR 20 · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Prolia · QULIPTA · RAYOS · REXULTI · REYVOW · REZUM · RYBELSUS · Repatha · Rybelsus · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · STEGLATRO · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SUNOSI · Saxenda · Superion ISS · Synthroid · TEKTURNA · TEPEZZA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TROKENDI XR · Tresiba · Trintellix · UBRELVY · Uloric · VIBERZI · VRAYLAR · VYEPTI · Vascepa · Victoza · Vyvanse · Wegovy · XARELTO · Xofluza · Xyrem · ZENPEP · ZIO XT Patch · ZTLido · Zilretta
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 (92%) 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 1% for internal medicine in TX.
Equivalent to $179 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Internal medicine physicians within 10 mi
172
Per 100K population
72.3
County median income
$71,923
Nearest hospital
UT HEALTH EAST TEXAS TYLER REGIONAL HOSPITAL
0.0 mi
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. Buzbee is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 1% in TX), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 1% 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. Buzbee experienced with chronic care management, first 20 min/month?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Buzbee performed 4,792 chronic care management, first 20 min/month 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. Buzbee receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Buzbee received a total of $108,000 from 52 companies across 1,045 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. Buzbee's costs compare to other internal medicine physicians in Tyler?
Dr. Buzbee's average Medicare payment per service is $26. 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. Buzbee) 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 →
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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.
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