Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Brian Blackburn, D.O.
Orthopedic Surgery · Folsom, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Blackburn 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. Blackburn
Dr. Brian Blackburn is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Folsom, CA, with 14 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Blackburn performed 1,559 Medicare services across 1,141 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Blackburn received a total of $24,356 from 22 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 148 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopedic surgery. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Blackburn 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.
✓ 14 years in practice
▲ Top 34% volume in CA
$24,356 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,559
Medicare services
Top 34% in CA for orthopedic surgery
1,141
Unique beneficiaries
$137
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~111 Medicare services per year of practice
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. |
480 | $101 | $379 |
| Pelvis X-ray, 1-2 views An X-ray imaging test of the pelvic area using one to two different angles to visualize the bones and joints. |
165 | $23 | $88 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views An X-ray imaging test of the lower back and sacrum using at least four different angles to visualize the bones and joints. |
153 | $42 | $156 |
| 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. |
105 | $71 | $264 |
| Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space. |
71 | $201 | $825 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
65 | $120 | $515 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
62 | $1 | $12 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views An X-ray imaging test that captures 2 to 3 views of the lower back and sacral spine to visualize the bones and joints in this area. |
58 | $31 | $112 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone. |
56 | $101 | $152 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 4-5 views An X-ray imaging test of the upper spine using 4 to 5 different views to visualize the bones and structures in that area. |
47 | $43 | $142 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum 6 views An X-ray imaging test that captures at least six views of the lower back and sacral spine to evaluate bone structure and alignment. |
40 | $51 | $200 |
| Spinal fusion of additional segment A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column. |
37 | $304 | $1,212 |
| 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. |
30 | $146 | $528 |
| Anterior spinal fusion with partial disc removal, each additional disc This procedure involves fusing spine bones together through an incision in the front of the body, with partial removal of the disc, for each additional disc treated. |
23 | $167 | $703 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 21 | $1,267 | $4,938 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment. |
19 | $701 | $3,433 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views An X-ray imaging test of the upper spine using two to three different angles to visualize the bones and structures. |
19 | $32 | $106 |
| Fusion of upper spine bone with removal of disc and release of spinal cord or nerve, each additional disc | 18 | $308 | $1,231 |
| Anterior lumbar interbody fusion with partial disc removal A surgical procedure to fuse the lower spine bones by accessing the area through the abdomen and partially removing a spinal disc. |
18 | $817 | $3,392 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment. |
18 | $164 | $655 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back. |
17 | $594 | $2,358 |
| Spinal fusion with disc removal and nerve release, 1 disc This surgery connects two or more vertebrae in the upper spine to stabilize the area. It involves removing a damaged disc and relieving pressure on the spinal cord or nerve. |
13 | $1,350 | $5,302 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 13 | $145 | $681 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 6 or more views An X-ray imaging test of the upper spine using six or more separate views to capture detailed images of the bones and structures in that area. |
11 | $50 | $179 |
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. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.
12.9% high complexity
4.0% medium
83.1% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$24,356
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,479/year across 7 years
Top 20% in CA for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
22
Companies
148
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$24,356 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,908
2023
$5,796
2022
$2,034
2021
$1,256
2020
$2,627
2019
$3,178
2018
$7,557
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,811
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$64
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$33
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$5,576
Stryker Corporation
$4,209
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$2,940
Globus Medical, Inc.
$2,583
Life Spine, Inc.
$2,519
CTL Medical Corporation
$2,439
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,936
SI-BONE, Inc.
$474
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$366
SI-BONE, INC.
$359
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$293
Clariance, Inc.
$118
Spineology Inc.
$116
Abbott Laboratories
$91
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$87
Nevro Corp.
$84
Amgen Inc.
$56
Baxter Healthcare
$33
NuVasive, Inc.
$28
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$19
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$15
Boston Scientific Corporation
$14
Top 3 companies account for 52.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIFUSE · AERO · ANTERALIGN SPINAL SYSTEM WITH TITAN NANOLOCK SURFACE TECHNOLOGY · AQUAMANTYS · BRIDION · CAPRI · COALITION AGX · Durango · ELSA ATP · ES2 · EVENITY · Excelsius - GPS · Grafix PL PRIME · IFUSE IMPLANT · INTERSTIM · IdentiTi · Idys-ALIF · MazorX - Renaissance · Mobi-C · NAVIGATOR · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · O-ARM-Spine · Other - Miscellaneous · PIVOX Oblique Lateral Spinal System · Palisade Pedicle Screw System · ProLift Lateral · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Rampart Duo Interbody Fusion System · SECURE-C · SERRATO · SIVEXTRO · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM · SafeOp · Samples Biologics · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Spine · TRITANIUM · Timberline · TrellOss · UNID_PASS · VIPER · VuePoint · XIA · iFuse Implant
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. 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 →
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Orthopedic surgeons within 10 mi
143
Per 100K population
9.0
County median income
$88,724
Nearest hospital
MERCY HOSPITAL OF FOLSOM
0.0 mi
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | Weekly updates |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | Monthly updates |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not public | 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. Blackburn is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 20% of CA peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Blackburn experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Blackburn performed 480 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. Blackburn receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Blackburn received a total of $24,356 from 22 companies across 148 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. 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. Blackburn's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Folsom?
Dr. Blackburn's average Medicare payment per service is $137. 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. Blackburn) 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 a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. 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?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): 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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