Dr. James Howell, DO
What this data tells you about Dr. Howell
Dr. James Howell is a family medicine in Defuniak Springs, FL, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Howell performed 5,960 Medicare services across 2,907 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Howell received a total of $7,638 from 48 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 472 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family medicine. 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. Howell 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.
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 (30-39 min) | 1,934 | $79 | $135 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) | 762 | $8 | $20 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 616 | $67 | $90 |
| Dexamethasone injection (steroid) | 512 | $0 | $25 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) | 504 | $1 | $5 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle | 286 | $9 | $35 |
| Residence visit for established patient with straightforward medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 15 minutes | 141 | $30 | $100 |
| Flu vaccine administration | 115 | $29 | $30 |
| Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent derived from cell cultures, preservative and antibiotic free | 110 | $33 | $40 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views | 104 | $14 | $53 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 87 | $100 | $200 |
| Automated urinalysis | 86 | $2 | $10 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 68 | $10 | $30 |
| Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and | 65 | $40 | $100 |
| Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians a | 47 | $31 | $75 |
| Joint injection, major joint | 46 | $49 | $150 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up | 46 | $123 | $160 |
| Injection of trigger points, 1-2 muscles | 43 | $34 | $100 |
| Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection | 41 | $0 | $100 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 40 | $68 | $150 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growth, 1 | 33 | $44 | $150 |
| Knee X-ray, 3 views | 25 | $21 | $78 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for influenza virus | 24 | $16 | $20 |
| Transitional care management services for problem of high complexity | 24 | $213 | $300 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growths, 2-14 | 20 | $5 | $25 |
| Limited ultrasound scan of abdomen | 20 | $36 | $129 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic | 18 | $77 | $278 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views | 17 | $21 | $94 |
| Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views | 16 | $17 | $66 |
| Hip X-ray, 2-3 views | 16 | $21 | $81 |
| Removal of impacted ear wax | 15 | $36 | $75 |
| Ultrasound of both sides of head and neck blood flow | 15 | $108 | $227 |
| X-ray of ankle, minimum of 3 views | 14 | $19 | $72 |
| Ultrasound scan of head and neck soft tissue | 13 | $50 | $158 |
| Transitional care management services for problem of at least moderate complexity | 13 | $158 | $250 |
| Foot X-ray, 3+ views | 12 | $19 | $63 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (covid-19) | 12 | $41 | $100 |
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)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for family medicine in FL.
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 measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Howell is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in FL), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 6%), with 18 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. Howell experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Does Dr. Howell receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Howell's costs compare to other family medicines in Defuniak Springs?
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. 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