John Zhao, MD
Foot and Ankle Surgery · Sugar Land, TXNPI 1063932291
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — consulting fees (40.5%), grants and food and beverage — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. It is spread thinly across 26 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 23.3%. 2025 is the largest year on record at $21,767, more than ten times the $957 reported in 2020. Among foot and ankle surgery clinicians in TX with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 164 payments — averaging $340.87 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novastep Inc.$13K
- Arthrex$12K
- Medshape, Inc.$10K
- Trilliant Surgical LLC.$8K
- Kairos Surgical Inc$3K
- Stryker$3K
- plus $7K from 20 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$22,65041%
- Speaking & faculty fees$1,5003%
- Grants$10,00018%
- Travel & lodging$8,64915%
- Food & beverage$9,50217%
- Education$3,3466%
- Other$2550%
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Novastep Inc. | 6 | $13,025 |
| Arthrex | 30 | $12,499 |
| Medshape, Inc. | 21 | $9,538 |
| Trilliant Surgical LLC. | 11 | $7,931 |
| Kairos Surgical Inc | 5 | $3,372 |
| Stryker | 26 | $2,911 |
| Medinc Of Texas | 22 | $1,865 |
| Paragon 28, Inc. | 9 | $1,513 |
| Extremity Medical | 1 | $632 |
| Smith+Nephew | 9 | $400 |
| Treace Medical Concepts, Inc. | 4 | $381 |
| Alafair Biosciences, Inc. | 2 | $367 |
| Integra Lifesciences Corporation | 1 | $255 |
| Exactech, Inc. | 2 | $234 |
| Restor3d, Inc. | 1 | $209 |
| Forma Medical | 1 | $140 |
| Acera Surgical, Inc. | 1 | $133 |
| Medline Industries LP | 1 | $91 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 2 | $89 |
| Voom Medical Devices, Inc. | 1 | $89 |
| Dynasplint Systems Inc. | 1 | $64 |
| Mayne Pharma Commercial LLC | 3 | $54 |
| Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | 1 | $34 |
| Heron Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $29 |
| Vertex | 1 | $24 |
| Amgen | 1 | $22 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
- NEXIS$20,700
- DynaNail$8,047
- DynaNail Helix, Washer, 15 mm$6,877
- Arsenal Sinus Support Plate$5,708
- Arsenal Ankle 10 Hole 1/3 Tubular Plate$1,500
- Product Portfolio$1,179
- INBONE$697
- DynaNail Hybrid$565
- Arsenal Ankle$427
- VersaWrap$367
- MAKO$322
- INFINITY ADAPTIS$322
- PROSTEP MICA$322
- DynaNail Mini$280
- MICROMATRIX$255
- VANTAGE$234
- INFINITY$227
- DynaClip Bone Fixation System, Quattro, 22mm x 20mm x 20mm$214
- Minimally Invasive Bunion Plate, Left$175
- Actishield$161
How this compares
$55,903 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 684 foot and ankle surgery providers in Texas.
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Meloxicam | 135 | $764 |
| Methylprednisolone | 84 | $440 |
| Gabapentin | 30 | $162 |
| Vitamin D2Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) | 18 | $150 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 15 | $57 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 14 | $14 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other foot and ankle surgery in Sugar Land
- Manish PatelSugar Land$54K
- William McGarveyKaty$3.5M
- Eugene CurryDallas$3.1M
- Graham HamiltonEdinburg$2.1M
- Mark DaltonAustin$1.9M
- Kevin VarnerHouston$1.1M
- Paul KimDallas$928K
- Sherman NaglerHouston$602K
- John EarlyDallas$553K
- Michael DowneySouthlake$475K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.