Dr. Kristopher Downing, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Downing
Dr. Kristopher Downing is an orthopaedic hand surgery physician in La Jolla, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Downing performed 842 Medicare services across 577 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Downing received a total of $173,198 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 136 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic hand surgery physician. Payments are distributed across multiple categories and often reflect legitimate professional engagement with the medical industry. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Downing 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betamethasone steroid injection An injection containing a combination of betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate. |
136 | $5 | $17 |
| Range of motion measurement A test to measure how far a patient can move their arms, legs, or spine sections. |
92 | $18 | $64 |
| 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. |
89 | $71 | $248 |
| 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. |
88 | $102 | $351 |
| Hand range of motion measurement This procedure measures the movement and flexibility of the hand joints. |
70 | $15 | $51 |
| 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. |
55 | $143 | $488 |
| 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. |
53 | $129 | $451 |
| X-ray of hand, minimum of 3 views An X-ray imaging test of the hand that captures at least three different angles to visualize the bones and joints. |
36 | $34 | $103 |
| Limited ultrasound of joint or extremity A focused ultrasound exam of a specific joint or other structure in the arm or leg, excluding blood vessels. |
36 | $35 | $159 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 35 | $159 | $594 |
| Wrist X-ray, minimum 3 views An imaging test using X-rays to capture at least three different angles of the wrist bones and joints. |
33 | $36 | $115 |
| Tendon or ligament injection A procedure involving the injection of medication into a tendon or ligament. |
31 | $41 | $152 |
| Ultrasound-guided joint aspiration or injection Removal of fluid from or injection into a medium-sized joint using ultrasound guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
28 | $77 | $244 |
| Ultrasound-guided large joint aspiration or injection This procedure uses ultrasound imaging to guide the removal of fluid from or the injection of medication into a large joint. |
16 | $90 | $272 |
| Injection of anesthetic agent and/or steroid into other nerve or branch | 16 | $17 | $224 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
15 | $143 | $648 |
| Imaging guidance for procedure, 60 minutes or less Use of imaging technology to guide a medical procedure. This service lasts 60 minutes or less. |
13 | $13 | $143 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type. Total industry engagement is in the top 5% for orthopaedic hand surgery physician in CA.
Geographic Context
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. Downing is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 5% of CA peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Downing experienced with betamethasone steroid injection?
Does Dr. Downing receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Downing's costs compare to other orthopaedic hand surgery physicians in La Jolla?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
Explore related providers
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.
Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology