The Vision Behind Hinkapin Health
More transparent care. A more human healthcare experience.
- Board-Certified Anesthesiologist
- 28+ Years of Clinical Practice
- Advocate for Transparent Care
Why I Started Hinkapin Health
I'm Dr. Nagaraj Kikkeri, founder of Hinkapin Health. I'm a board-certified anesthesiologist specializing in pain medicine and have practiced in North Texas for more than 28 years. I graduated from Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences in Bangalore, India, and trained at SUNY Stony Brook, Beth Israel Medical Center in NY, and Albany Medical Center.
Over the years, I saw a challenge affecting most patients and families: the uncertainty around healthcare costs. For nearly a decade, I have worked to make surgical care more transparent, predictable and affordable through bundled pricing and better care navigation.
The Experience That Shaped Our Purpose
Years ago, I met a patient who had delayed her colonoscopies because she could not afford the out-of-pocket cost. By the time she received care, she had metastatic colon cancer.
She had insurance, yet the care she needed was financially out of reach when she needed it. That experience stayed with me and raised a simple question, one that still guides everything we build at Hinkapin Health.
Hinkapin Health grew from a straightforward idea — tell people what their care will cost before they receive it. What began with transparent bundled pricing has expanded into surgical navigation, care coordination and partnerships with employers, TPAs, physicians and facilities.
The goal remains simple: help people access excellent care with greater clarity and less financial uncertainty.
Why should patients have to choose between taking care of their health and being able to afford that care?
Dr. Nagaraj KikkeriOur Relationship with NTTC Surgery Center
Transparency is important to us. I am also a physician with an ownership role at North Texas Team Care Surgery Center (NTTC Surgery Center) in Mesquite, Texas, where much of our work with transparent bundled surgical pricing began.
Hinkapin Health and NTTC work closely together, but their roles are different. Hinkapin Health provides navigation and care coordination — helping patients understand their options, coordinate consultations and scheduling, establish transparent pricing and move through the surgical process. NTTC provides surgical care for appropriate cases at its Mesquite facility, with flat-rate bundles that can include facility, surgeon and anesthesia costs.
Hinkapin Health is not limited to NTTC. We work with physicians and facilities beyond NTTC across multiple specialties and geographic markets — helping each patient find the right physician, the right facility, the right care at the right price.
Working within the surgical process gives us a practical understanding of facility costs, provider needs and the complexities of healthcare billing.
Dr. Nagaraj KikkeriRecognized for Advancing Price Transparency
Healthcare can be complicated. Caring for people does not have to be. At Hinkapin Health, our aim is to bring together good medicine, thoughtful navigation, transparent pricing and genuine human compassion. That is why we started — and that is what we will continue to build.
Hinkapin Health and Dr. Nagaraj Kikkeri's work in healthcare price transparency and bundled surgical care have been featured and recognized by leading healthcare and business publications.
D CEO — Conversation with Dr. Nagaraj Kikkeri, Hinkapin Health (2026)
D CEO Excellence in Healthcare Awards — Outstanding Healthcare Practitioner, 2022
D Magazine — "The Physician Bringing Price Transparency to North Texas"
D Magazine — "How a Local Surgery Center Is Spreading Price Transparency"
Becker's Healthcare — ASC Industry Leadership
Dr. Kikkeri was part of the speaker lineup at Becker's 31st Annual Business and Operations of ASCs, where he discussed the financial challenges of building a strong pain center. NTTC leadership has also been featured on Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast, discussing surgical center operations, affordability, and patient-centered care.
Together, Let's Make Healthcare More Transparent.
Whether you are a self-funded employer, healthcare partner, TPA, physician or patient, talk to us about a simpler, more transparent way to navigate surgical care.
Talk With Hinkapin Health