Dr. Samuel Ralston, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Ralston
Dr. Samuel Ralston is a family medicine in Waco, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ralston performed 1,377 Medicare services across 1,136 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ralston received a total of $3,342 from 30 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 203 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family medicine. 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. Ralston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 424 | $73 | $313 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up | 282 | $126 | $338 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 212 | $56 | $213 |
| Flu vaccine administration | 107 | $29 | $69 |
| Flu vaccine, high-dose | 99 | $69 | $179 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) | 83 | $10 | $40 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growths, 2-14 | 45 | $5 | $16 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views | 22 | $22 | $80 |
| X-ray of abdomen, 1 view | 18 | $22 | $68 |
| Initial preventive physical examination; face-to-face visit, services limited to new beneficiary during the first 12 months of medicare enrollment | 18 | $162 | $487 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growth, 1 | 16 | $40 | $193 |
| Transitional care management services for problem of at least moderate complexity | 15 | $159 | $476 |
| Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 20 valent (pcv20), for intramuscular use | 13 | $260 | $794 |
| Pneumonia vaccine administration | 12 | $30 | $69 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 11 | $8 | $49 |
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 ›
Most payments (96%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
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. Ralston is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 21% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 18%), with 20 years of practice experience.
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. Ralston experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Does Dr. Ralston receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Ralston's costs compare to other family medicines in Waco?
What does Data Coverage mean?
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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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