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- 50 Hillcrest Medical Blvd, Waco, TX 76712
About Dr. Helmer
Based in Waco, TX, Richard E. Helmer, MD is listed in the NPI registry under thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic). Richard graduated from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2000. Richard is also listed as specializing in specialist and vascular surgery. According to Medicare claims data, Richard cared for 181 Medicare patients across 198 services. The services billed most often include new patient office or other outpatient visit with a high level of medical decision making, if using time, 60 minutes or more, established patient office or other outpatient visit with low level od decision making, if using time, 20 minutes or more, and subsequent hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 25 minutes. NPI 1881898666 identifies this record in the national registry.
Factual summary compiled by Guide.md from public records; not written by this provider.
Education & Training
Specialty
Credentials & Licensing
Medicare information
Exactly as CMS reports it (National Downloadable File, Opt-Out Affidavits, Order & Referring). Not an insurance directory; confirm coverage with the office.
Contact Information
- (254) 202-0480
- Email not available
Is this your home address or personal number? Hide it
Practice Locations
50 HILLCREST MEDICAL BLVD
Waco, TX 76712
Conditions Commonly Evaluated or Treated
Within Thoracic Surgery generally. Availability varies by clinician, training and location — this profile has not been claimed, so nothing here is a personal claim by the provider.
Conditions
Airway
Chest tumors
Chest wall
Diaphragm
Esophagus
Esophagus and stomach
- Acid reflux
- Barrett's esophagus
- Esophageal cancer
- Esophageal pouch
- Esophagus tear
- Hiatal hernia
- Swallowing difficulties
Heart lining
Infection
Lung
Lung cancer
Lung conditions
Nerves
Nerves and blood vessels
Neuromuscular
Pleural disease
Sweating disorders
Trauma
Vascular
Procedures & services
Airway
Airway surgery
Chest tumors
Chest wall
Chest wall surgery
- Broken rib plating surgery
- Chest wall reconstruction
- Sunken chest repair
- Thoracic Outlet Decompression
Diagnostic tests
Diagnostics
Diaphragm
Diaphragm surgery
Emphysema
Esophagus
Esophagus surgery
- Acid reflux surgery
- Esophageal dilation
- Esophageal stent placement
- Esophagus removal surgery
- Hiatal hernia surgery
- Peroral endoscopic myotomy
Fluid drainage
Heart lining
Lung surgery
- Collapsed lung surgery
- Lung cancer surgery
- Lung lining scraping and cleaning
- Lung nodule removal
- Lung valve placement for emphysema
- Minimally invasive lung surgery
Nerves
Pleural disease
Robotic surgery
Surgical approach
Sweat surgery
Transplant
Trauma
Procedures Most Often Billed to Medicare
198 services · 181 patients · 10 distinct codes
| Procedure | Type | Code | Services | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronary artery bypass using artery graft, 1 graft | Procedure | 33533 |
16 | Less often than most peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| Harvest of vein using an endoscope | Procedure | 33508 |
16 | Less often than most peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| Exclusion of appendage of left upper chamber of heart performed during other procedure on chest | Procedure | 33268 |
16 | As often as other peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| Removal of lymph nodes of chest cavity using an endoscope | Procedure | 32674 |
12 | Less often than most peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| Therapy procedure using a special bandage and vacuum pump, surface area 50.0 sq cm or less | Treatment | 97605 |
14 | Too few peers to compare |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit with a high level of medical decision making, if using time, 60 minutes or more | Office visit | 99205 |
33 | As often as other peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit with low level od decision making, if using time, 20 minutes or more | Office visit | 99213 |
24 | As often as other peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| Subsequent hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 25 minutes | Office visit | 99231 |
23 | Less often than most peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit with moderate level of medical decision making, if using time, 45 minutes or more | Office visit | 99204 |
23 | As often as other peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit with moderate level of decision making, if using time, 30 minutes or more | Office visit | 99214 |
21 | As often as other peers in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic) |
Source: CMS Medicare public data. Shows how often procedures were billed — not quality of care or patient satisfaction.
Related providers
Connections drawn from the registry and from what providers have told us. A link here is not a referral or an endorsement.
Other thoracic surgery specialists at this location 1
Same specialty, same street address — most likely the same department or group.
Also at this address 4
Providers at the same street address. Each files their own registry entry, so a shared practice often appears under several different names.
Other thoracic surgery specialists in Waco 6
Same specialty, same city.
More connections — 23 related providers in 3 groups
Trained at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston 8
Other providers in the same specialty who trained at the same institution.
Class of 2000 at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston 8
Providers who graduated from the same medical school in the same year.
Also performs Coronary artery bypass using artery graft, 1 graft 7
Providers in TX who bill this service to Medicare most often.
Common questions
What does Dr. Helmer specialize in?
Dr. Helmer is a thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic) in Waco, TX. That is the designation recorded for this NPI in the federal registry.
NPI registry
Where is Dr. Helmer located?
Dr. Helmer is listed at 50 Hillcrest Medical Blvd, Waco, TX 76712. Addresses come from the NPI registry and can lag a move, so confirm before travelling.
NPI registry
What is Dr. Helmer's phone number?
The number on file is (254) 202-0480. Contact the office directly to confirm availability and scheduling.
NPI registry
What is Dr. Helmer's NPI number?
Dr. Helmer's National Provider Identifier is 1881898666. It is issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and is unique and permanent — it does not change if they move practice.
NPI registry
Where did Dr. Helmer go to medical school?
Dr. Helmer attended University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, graduating in 2000. This comes from the CMS National Downloadable File.
CMS public data
How long has Dr. Helmer been practicing?
Dr. Helmer has 26 years experience. Calculated from a graduation year of 2000, reported in the CMS National Downloadable File.
CMS public data
What does Dr. Helmer do most often?
According to Medicare billing data, Dr. Helmer performs procedures including coronary artery bypass using artery graft, 1 graft, harvest of vein using an endoscope and exclusion of appendage of left upper chamber of heart performed during other procedure on chest; provides treatments such as therapy procedure using a special bandage and vacuum pump, surface area 50.0 sq cm or less, alongside routine visits and testing. This reflects Medicare patients only and is billing volume, not a measure of quality.
Medicare claims
Has Dr. Helmer confirmed this information?
Not yet. This profile is built from public federal data and has not been confirmed by Dr. Helmer. If this is you, claiming it is free.
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