Dr. Michael Thompson, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Thompson
Dr. Michael Thompson is an orthopaedic hand surgery physician in La Jolla, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Thompson performed 1,690 Medicare services across 1,060 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Thompson received a total of $4,532 from 22 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 57 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic hand surgery physician. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Thompson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
422 | $74 | $248 |
| Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg | 300 | $6 | $26 |
| Joint fluid aspiration or injection, small joint Removal of fluid from a small joint or injection of medication into a small joint. |
207 | $38 | $293 |
| 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. |
197 | $105 | $350 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
106 | $86 | $305 |
| Tendon or ligament injection A procedure involving the injection of medication into a tendon or ligament. |
86 | $45 | $234 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
67 | $1 | $8 |
| 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. |
59 | $135 | $453 |
| Joint fluid aspiration or injection, medium joint Removal of fluid from a medium-sized joint or injection of medication into the joint space. |
49 | $49 | $268 |
| Routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) A test that records the electrical activity of the heart using at least 12 leads to produce a tracing. |
34 | $6 | $25 |
| Methylprednisolone acetate injection, 20 mg A 20 mg injection of methylprednisolone acetate, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
30 | $5 | $8 |
| Imaging guidance for procedure, 60 minutes or less Use of imaging technology to guide a medical procedure. This service lasts 60 minutes or less. |
29 | $13 | $80 |
| Injection of carpal tunnel | 17 | $81 | $410 |
| Nonremovable forearm to hand splint application A healthcare provider applies a rigid splint that extends from the forearm to the hand to immobilize and support the area. |
16 | $55 | $256 |
| Hand nerve release or relocation A surgical procedure to release or reposition a nerve in the hand. |
16 | $296 | $1,719 |
| Elbow to finger cast application Application of a cast extending from the elbow to the fingers to immobilize the arm. |
14 | $69 | $336 |
| Adult short arm fiberglass cast supplies Materials used to apply a short arm cast made of fiberglass for patients aged 11 and older. |
14 | $16 | $48 |
| Adult fiberglass short arm splint supplies Materials for creating a fiberglass splint for an adult's short arm. |
14 | $11 | $30 |
| Skin graft repair, 10 sq cm or less A surgical procedure to repair a wound by transferring a small piece of skin to the affected area. The graft covers wounds on the face, neck, hands, feet, or other specified body parts. |
13 | $509 | $2,941 |
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 ›
The majority of payments (53%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in orthopaedic hand surgery physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.
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. Thompson is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement, with 20 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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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