Richard Earle Helmer IV, MD
NPI 1881898666ActiveIndividual· Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery)· Waco, TX
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) (MD) in Waco, Texas, trained at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (class of 2000). Mostly services rather than prescriptions: Medicare paid $86,108 for 110 patients in 2024, with only 22 Part D claims. Stryker Corporation was the largest of 17 companies reporting payments in 2025, $1,989 in all, mostly food and beverage.
Overview
| NPI | 1881898666 |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Entity type | Individual |
| Credential | MD |
| Sole proprietor | No |
| NPI issued | Jun 13, 2007 |
| Last updated in NPPES | May 15, 2024 |
| Certified by provider | May 15, 2024 |
Specialties and licenses
| Taxonomy | Code | License | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Primary | 208G00000X | L9237 | TX |
| Specialist | 174400000X | L9237 | TX |
| Surgery, Vascular Surgery | 2086S0129X | L9237 | TX |
Exclusion screening
| List | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| HHS-OIG LEIE · Oct 9, 2026 | No match | Checked by NPI and by name + state |
| North Carolina Medicaid · Nov 10, 2026 | No match | — |
| New York OMIG · Nov 10, 2026 | No match | — |
| Ohio Medicaid · Nov 10, 2026 | No match | — |
| Pennsylvania Medicheck · Nov 10, 2026 | No match | — |
| Washington HCA · Nov 10, 2026 | No match | — |
Official OIG search · How matching works ·Bulk check a roster
Medicare
| Enrollment (PECOS) | Enrolled Practitioner - Thoracic Surgery (TX) |
|---|---|
| Accepts assignment | Yes (participating) |
Medicare services in 2024
| Medicare patients | 110 |
|---|---|
| Services billed | 302 across 50 procedure codes |
| Paid by Medicare | $86,108 |
Part D prescriptions in 2024
| Prescriptions (claims) | 22 · 26 30-day fills |
|---|---|
| Patients | 12 |
| Total drug cost | $321.80 |
| Generic share | 100% of claims |
Education and affiliations
| Medical school | University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston |
|---|---|
| Graduation year | 2000 |
| Medicare specialty | Thoracic Surgery |
| Secondary specialties | Vascular Surgery |
Medical group
- Hillcrest Physician ServicesWaco, TX · 115 clinicians
Hospital affiliation
Other facilities
- Elara CaringHome health agency · Teague, TX
Industry payments (Open Payments)
- 2025$1,989 · 62 payments from 17 companies
- 2024$1,650 · 30 payments from 12 companies
Top paying companies in 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Stryker Corporation | $645.79 | 14 |
| Pylant Medical | $345.81 | 2 |
| Abbott Laboratories | $217.80 | 13 |
| Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $112.04 | 6 |
| Abiomed | $110.91 | 3 |
What the 2025 payments were for
- Food and Beverage$1,989 · 62 payments
Receiving payments does not imply wrongdoing. What Open Payments covers ·original records
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