Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Michael Brown, M.D.

Orthopedic Surgery · Sonoma, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
651 1ST ST W, Sonoma, CA 95476
7079383870
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1942286562 verify on NPPES ↗
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. Brown 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. Brown

Dr. Michael Brown is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Sonoma, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Brown performed 2,340 Medicare services across 981 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Brown received a total of $4,713 from 17 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 40 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. Brown 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.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ Top 25% volume in CA $4,713 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,340
Medicare services
Top 25% in CA for orthopedic surgery
981
Unique beneficiaries
$68
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~117 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
Joint lubricant injection (Synvisc) 848 $7 $39
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.
610 $67 $393
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg 350 $5 $21
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
178 $51 $343
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.
172 $82 $575
Total knee replacement 30 $1,009 $6,700
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
25 $105 $700
Initial hospital admission, low complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving straightforward or low-level medical decision making, with at least 40 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
24 $63 $510
Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement
Use of real-time X-ray imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure.
22 $22 $140
Total hip replacement
Surgical procedure to replace the thigh bone and hip joint with artificial components.
20 $1,027 $6,600
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
19 $42 $241
Surgical repair of broken thigh bone with implant
A surgical procedure to fix a fractured femur by using a bone implant to stabilize the broken bone.
16 $957 $6,339
Surgical repair of broken thigh bone with stabilization or replacement
This procedure involves surgically treating the upper part of a fractured femur by inserting a device to stabilize the bone or replacing it with a prosthetic implant.
14 $937 $6,170
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.
12 $106 $577
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.
2.7% high complexity
58.8% medium
38.5% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$4,713
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $673/year across 7 years
Top 43% in CA for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
17
Companies
40
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
$3,442 (73.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$1,271 (27.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$246
2023
$1,378
2022
$1,492
2021
$206
2020
$222
2019
$761
2018
$408

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Kairos Surgical Inc
$229
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$1,474
Evolution Surgical, Inc
$1,271
Conformis, Inc.
$794
Stryker Corporation
$258
Kairos Surgical Inc
$229
LinkBio Corp
$147
TELA Bio, Inc.
$128
Abbott Laboratories
$94
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$59
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$58
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$44
Bioventus LLC
$35
Sanara MedTech Inc.
$33
Medacta USA, Inc.
$29
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$25
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$22
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 75.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIS · AQUAMANTYS · AXSOS · BLUEPRINT PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTATION · CellerateRx · Durolane · GMK Sphere · HOFFMANN · Hip · Hip System · MAKO · OviTex Reinforced Bioscaffold With Permanent Polymer (OviTex) · PICO 7 · PROCLAIM · Persona · ROSA · Regeneten · SYNVISC-ONE · TRIDENT · VARIAX · Velys · iTotal CR · iTotal PS · iUni
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 (73%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for an orthopedic surgery specialist in Sonoma?
Compare orthopedic surgeons in the Sonoma area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse orthopedic surgeons nearby

Geographic Context

Orthopedic surgeons within 10 mi
96
Per 100K population
19.8
County median income
$102,840
Nearest hospital
SONOMA VALLEY HOSPITAL
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. Brown is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 25% in CA), with low-engagement 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

Is Dr. Brown experienced with joint lubricant injection (synvisc)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Brown performed 848 joint lubricant injection (synvisc) 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. Brown receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Brown received a total of $4,713 from 17 companies across 40 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. Brown's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Sonoma?
Dr. Brown's average Medicare payment per service is $68. 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. Brown) 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 →
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.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

Data Disclaimer — Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Open Payments program, Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, and Provider Enrollment & Certification data (PECOS). Published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by CMS, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Data may contain errors as reported to CMS by providers and reporting entities. Payments from industry are legal and do not indicate wrongdoing. Medicare data reflects only patients aged 65+ or those with qualifying disabilities. For corrections, contact CMS directly. This information does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a healthcare provider. Procedure descriptions use plain language and do not reference CPT® codes, which are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Full methodology → · Report a data error → · Privacy policy →