Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher Mickler, D.O.

Neurological Surgery · Clearwater, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
400 PINELLAS ST, Clearwater, FL 33756
7272986121
In practice since 2009 (16 years)
NPI: 1457594012 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. Mickler 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 →
Are you Dr. Mickler? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Mickler

Dr. Christopher Mickler is a neurological surgery in Clearwater, FL, with 16 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Mickler performed 631 Medicare services across 549 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Mickler received a total of $24,372 from 14 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 190 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological 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. Mickler is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 16 years in practice▲ Top 22% volume in FL$ $24,372 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
631
Medicare services
Top 22% in FL for neurological surgery
549
Unique beneficiaries
$274
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~39 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)157$64$221
New patient office visit (45-59 min)109$123$409
Partial removal of spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, each additional segment57$176$567
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)50$89$311
Insertion of cage or mesh device to spine bone and disc space during spine fusion34$215$696
Initial hospital admission, high complexity34$135$498
Partial removal of spine bone with release of lower spinal cord and/or nerves, 1 segment26$901$2,949
Fusion of lower spine bone and partial removal of spine bone or disc through back, 1 disc25$1,279$4,247
Placement of stabilizing device to back of 1 spine bone in neck21$627$2,043
Partial removal of bone of single segment of spine in lower back with release of spinal cord and/or nerves during fusion of spine in lower back21$208$697
New patient office visit (30-44 min)19$71$277
Fusion of spine bones through front of body with partial removal of disc, each additional disc15$253$875
Fusion of upper spine bones through front of neck with partial removal of disc13$527$3,363
Placement of stabilizing device to front, 2-3 spine bone segments13$611$1,965
Insertion of cage or mesh device in disc space during spine fusion13$282$905
Removal of upper spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, anterior approach, single segment13$1,475$4,723
Placement of stabilizing device to back, 3-6 spine bone segments11$640$2,056
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.
19.2% high complexity
0.0% medium
80.8% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$24,372
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,482/year across 7 years
Top 27% in FL for neurological surgery
14
Companies
190
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
$12,533 (51.4%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$11,839 (48.6%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$7,346
2023
$3,659
2022
$4,118
2021
$4,650
2020
$1,470
2019
$1,179
2018
$1,950

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Stryker Corporation
$23,650
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$163
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$126
CSL Behring
$64
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$63
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$42
Medtronic, Inc.
$41
Cerapedics Inc.
$38
Baxter Healthcare
$37
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$37
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$34
Novocure Inc.
$32
SI-BONE, INC.
$24
Nevro Corp.
$22
Top 3 companies account for 98.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCULIF · ALEUTIAN INTERBODY SYSTEMS · ANDEXXA · BEVYXXA · BIO4 · CAPRI · CAPRI CORPECTOMY CAGE SYSTEM · CASCADIA · CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM · CD HORIZON · CHESAPEAKE STABILIZATION SYSTEM · CLYDESDALE PTC SPINAL SYSTEM · CODMAN CERTAS · Cervical-STIM · Cervical-Stim · DURAMATRIX · ES2 · ES2 SPINAL SYSTEM · ESCALATE · EVEREST MI · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · FLOSEAL · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · Kcentra · LATERAL ACCESS SPINAL SYSTEM · MESA SPINAL SYSTEM · MOJAVE · NA · NAVIGATOR · NIAGARA LATERAL ACCESS SYSTEM · NSE - MIS ATTACHMENTS · OZARK CERVICAL PLATE SYSTEM · Optune · Other - MIS · PROLIFT · STRYKER NAV3I · SURG - CORE CONSOLE · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Spinal-Stim · TRITANIUM · UNIVERSAL NEURO 3 · XIA · YUKON · YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM
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 (51%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $3,862 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a neurological surgery in Clearwater?
Compare neurological surgerys in the Clearwater area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerys nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological Surgerys within 10 mi
85
Per 100K population
8.8
County median income
$70,293
Nearest hospital
MORTON PLANT HOSPITAL
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Mickler is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 22% in FL), and low-engagement industry engagement, with 16 years of practice experience.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Mickler experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Mickler performed 157 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Mickler receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Mickler received a total of $24,372 from 14 companies across 190 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. Mickler's costs compare to other neurological surgerys in Clearwater?
Dr. Mickler's average Medicare payment per service is $274. 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. Mickler) 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. The Transparency Score measures 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 →