Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Richard Steel, M.D.
Internal Medicine · Mcallen, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
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. Steel 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Steel
Dr. Richard Steel is an internal medicine specialist in Mcallen, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Steel performed 2,792 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Steel received a total of $7,166 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 412 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Steel is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 19 years of NPI registration
▲ Top 13% volume in TX
$7,166 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary — 2023
Medicare Utilization ↗2,792
Medicare services
Top 13% in TX for internal medicine
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$65
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
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) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
1,069 | $88 | $382 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
320 | $8 | $10 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
199 | $58 | $288 |
| Autonomic nervous system function test This test evaluates how well the sympathetic nervous system is functioning. It assesses the automatic control of bodily processes such as heart rate and blood pressure. |
86 | $94 | $300 |
| Autonomic nervous system testing with tilt This test evaluates the function of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. It involves monitoring the patient for at least five minutes while they are tilted. |
85 | $99 | $217 |
| Ketorolac injection, per 15 mg An injection of ketorolac tromethamine, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, administered in doses measured per 15 mg. |
84 | $0 | $7 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle A procedure involving the administration of a medication or substance via injection into the subcutaneous tissue or muscle. |
81 | $10 | $39 |
| Annual intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, 15 minutes A yearly, in-person session focused on intensive behavioral therapy to help manage cardiovascular disease. The session lasts for 15 minutes and is conducted with the patient individually. |
77 | $25 | $37 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service. |
73 | $124 | $200 |
| Annual depression screening | 65 | $18 | $37 |
| Annual alcohol misuse screening, 5 to 15 minutes | 62 | $18 | $37 |
| Ultrasound of arm and leg arteries A non-invasive imaging test that uses sound waves to examine the blood vessels in the arms and legs. It evaluates blood flow and checks for blockages or other vascular issues. |
56 | $77 | $197 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
50 | $127 | $446 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or grafts An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the blood vessels in the legs or any surgical grafts present. |
49 | $179 | $393 |
| Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg | 48 | $6 | $30 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
45 | $117 | $348 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in the arm or leg. The test uses sound waves to check blood flow and may include compression and other maneuvers. |
44 | $114 | $357 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
33 | $126 | $458 |
| Automated urinalysis An automated laboratory test performed on a urine sample to analyze its chemical and physical properties. The procedure uses machinery to detect various substances and cells within the urine. |
28 | $2 | $15 |
| Urine microalbumin test A laboratory test that measures the amount of a specific protein called microalbumin in a urine sample. This analysis helps assess kidney function. |
27 | $6 | $15 |
| Creatinine test (kidney function) A blood test that measures the amount of creatinine to assess kidney function or detect muscle injury. |
27 | $5 | $15 |
| Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min A session focused on discussing and documenting future healthcare preferences and goals. This service covers the initial 30 minutes of the planning discussion. |
27 | $58 | $97 |
| Advance care planning, each additional 30 minutes This code covers each additional 30 minutes spent on advance care planning discussions beyond the initial session. It involves counseling patients and families about future healthcare preferences and end-of-life care options. |
27 | $54 | $87 |
| Balance testing with recording A procedure to evaluate balance function by recording the results during testing. |
25 | $84 | $187 |
| Vestibular function test using rotating chair This test evaluates eye movement and balance function by having the patient sit in a rotating chair. It helps assess how the inner ear and brain coordinate to maintain stability. |
25 | $93 | $187 |
| Use of electrodes during balance testing Application of electrodes to monitor physiological responses during a balance assessment. |
25 | $8 | $17 |
| Neuromuscular re-education therapy, per 15 min A therapy procedure designed to re-educate the functional connection between the brain, nerves, and muscles. It is billed in 15-minute increments. |
25 | $26 | $50 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
17 | $10 | $47 |
| Retinal photography (fundus photo) This procedure involves taking photographs of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is used to document the condition of the eye's interior structures. |
13 | $19 | $97 |
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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.
1.8% high complexity
14.6% medium
83.6% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$7,166
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,024/year across 7 years
Top 12% in TX for internal medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
28
Companies
412
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$341
2023
$549
2022
$305
2021
$422
2020
$1,080
2019
$2,405
2018
$2,065
Payments by company (2024)
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$146
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$145
Abbott Laboratories
$34
Lilly USA, LLC
$16
Top 3 companies account for 95.3% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$2,033
Novo Nordisk Inc
$1,686
Lilly USA, LLC
$702
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$656
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$280
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$247
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$228
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$225
Abbott Laboratories
$171
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$129
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$106
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$100
Echosens North America, Inc.
$100
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$83
Insulet Corporation
$80
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$62
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$42
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$40
Amgen Inc.
$32
Mannkind Corporation
$31
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$24
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc.
$22
Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.
$19
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc.
$16
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$14
Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc.
$12
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$12
AbbVie, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 61.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AFREZZA · ANORO · AREXVY · Aimovig · BASAGLAR · BREZTRI · BRILINTA · BYDUREON · Baxdela · Creon · Da Vinci Surgical System · Dexilant · ENTRESTO · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE · FibroScan · FreeStyle Libre · FreeStyle Libre 2 · FreeStyle Libre blood glucose Flash Monitoring System · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · MOUNJARO · MYRBETRIQ · Minimed 670G System · NEXLETOL · NOCDURNA · OXTELLAR XR · Omnipod · Ozempic · PRALUENT · RYBELSUS · Rybelsus · SIVEXTRO · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · STEGLATRO · SYMBICORT · TOUJEO · TRADJENTA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TROKENDI XR · TRULICITY · Tresiba · Vascepa · Victoza · XIFAXAN · ZENPEP · t-slim insulin pump
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Geographic Context
Internal medicine physicians in nearby ZIP areas
169
County median income
$52,281
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEM
3.4 mi
3.4 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | NPPES snapshot; verify current record |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | PECOS snapshot |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not included | N/A |
This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Steel is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 13% in TX), with 19 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Steel experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Steel performed 1,069 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Steel receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Steel received a total of $7,166 from 28 companies across 412 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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. Steel's costs compare to other internal medicine physicians in Mcallen?
Dr. Steel's average Medicare payment per service is $65. 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. Steel) 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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. Data Coverage reflects 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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