Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Heather Branch, FNP

Nurse Practitioner - Family · Waco, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
7104 NEW SANGER RD, Waco, TX 76712
2545376270
In practice since 2017 (8 years)
NPI: 1144732983 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. Branch 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. Branch? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Branch

Dr. Heather Branch is a nurse practitioner - family in Waco, TX, with 8 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Branch performed 695 Medicare services across 413 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Branch received a total of $1,389 from 20 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 60 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in nurse practitioner - family. 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. Branch 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.

✓ 8 years in practice▲ Top 22% volume in TX$ $1,389 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
695
Medicare services
Top 22% in TX for nurse practitioner - family
413
Unique beneficiaries
$34
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~87 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 (20-29 min)141$50$213
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)122$68$313
Dexamethasone injection (steroid)118$0$5
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)106$1$5
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle48$8$73
Annual wellness visit, follow-up37$108$338
Chest X-ray, 2 views24$18$80
Automated urinalysis20$2$9
Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min20$65$252
Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for streptococcus, group a (strep)16$16$49
Flu vaccine, high-dose15$71$171
Flu vaccine administration15$30$69
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead13$9$49
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 ↗
$1,389
Total received (2021-2024)
Avg $347/year across 4 years
Top 22% in TX for nurse practitioner - family
20
Companies
60
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
$1,389 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$722
2023
$300
2022
$121
2021
$246

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Dexcom, Inc.
$312
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$156
PFIZER INC.
$154
Novo Nordisk Inc
$150
Amgen Inc.
$100
ABBVIE INC.
$92
Lilly USA, LLC
$71
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$60
Corium, LLC
$48
Exact Sciences Corporation
$44
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$34
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$33
Noven Therapeutics, LLC
$21
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$20
Intuity Medical Inc
$19
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$17
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$16
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$12
Organon Llc
$11
Top 3 companies account for 44.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIRSUPRA · AZSTARYS · Azstarys · Cologuard Collection Kit · Descovy · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · EVENITY · FARXIGA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · MOUNJARO · NURTEC ODT · NUVARING · Otezla · Ozempic · Pogo Automatic Blood Glucose Monitoring System · QULIPTA · QUVIVIQ · REXULTI · Repatha · TZIELD · VRAYLAR · Veozah · Wegovy · Xelstrym
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 $200 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a nurse practitioner - family in Waco?
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Geographic Context

Nurse Practitioner - Familys within 10 mi
154
Per 100K population
58.4
County median income
$63,888
Nearest hospital
ASCENSION PROVIDENCE
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. Branch is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 22% in TX), and low-engagement industry engagement.

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. Branch experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Branch performed 141 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Branch receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Branch received a total of $1,389 from 20 companies across 60 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. Branch's costs compare to other nurse practitioner - familys in Waco?
Dr. Branch's average Medicare payment per service is $34. 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. Branch) 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 →