https://doctransparency.com/doctor/fl/lithia/christopher-donaldson-1609910157
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher Donaldson, MD

Sports Medicine (Orthopaedic Surgery) Physician · Lithia, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
13837 CIRCA CROSSING DR, Lithia, FL 33547
8136842663
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1609910157 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. Donaldson 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. Donaldson? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Donaldson

Dr. Christopher Donaldson is a sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician in Lithia, FL, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Donaldson performed 859 Medicare services across 604 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Donaldson received a total of $172,041 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 322 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Donaldson 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.

✓ 19 years in practice▲ 859 Medicare services$ $172,041 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
859
Medicare services
Bottom 35% in FL for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
604
Unique beneficiaries
$62
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~45 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 (30-39 min)230$92$412
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views140$26$116
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg104$6$51
Aspiration and/or injection of fluid large joint using ultrasound guidance78$80$345
New patient office visit (45-59 min)73$118$507
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)53$66$291
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views41$30$139
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)31$135$545
X-ray of knee, 4 or more views28$41$157
X-ray of wrist, minimum of 3 views24$28$122
X-ray of elbow, minimum of 3 views18$20$97
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views16$37$152
New patient office visit (30-44 min)12$81$340
Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement11$45$175
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$172,041
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $24,577/year across 7 years
Top 4% in FL for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician
15
Companies
322
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$125,566 (73.0%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$37,729 (21.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$5,216 (3.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$3,529 (2.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$38,350
2023
$16,373
2022
$29,682
2021
$10,309
2020
$32,324
2019
$19,239
2018
$25,763

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Arthrex, Inc.
$163,295
MVP Orthopedics Inc
$4,328
Stryker Corporation
$2,957
Coastal Medical Technologies LLC
$426
Coastal Medical Technologies Llc
$405
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$191
Trice Medical, Inc.
$138
Avanos Medical
$87
Ethicon US, LLC
$59
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$56
ERMI Inc.
$24
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$23
Anika Therapeutics, Inc.
$20
ERMI LLC
$16
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$15
Top 3 companies account for 99.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE · ANATO · ARTHREX · Arthrex · Bone Anchors with Arthroscopic Delivery System · COOLIEF COOLED RADIOFREQUENCY · CORI · DERMABOND Portfolio · DYNACORD · EXPAREL · GAMMA · MAKO · ORTHOLOC 3DI · PRIME SERIES · Physio-Stim · Physio-Stim Osteogenesis Stimulator · REGENETEN Shoulder · RESTORATION · SHOULDER IMPLANTS SUTURETAKS KNOTLESS · SHOULDER IMPLANTS SUTURETAKS PEEK ANCHORS · SHOULDER IMPLANTS SWIVELOCKS PEEK ANCHORS · SPS · STRATAFIX · T2 · TFN ADVANCED · TRAUMA · TRIATHLON · Tactoset · VARIAX · mi-eye
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 →

The majority of payments (73%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 4% for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician in FL.

Equivalent to $20,028 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician in Lithia?
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Geographic Context

Sports Medicine (Orthopaedic Surgery) Physicians within 10 mi
8
Per 100K population
0.5
County median income
$75,011
Nearest hospital
HCA FLORIDA BRANDON HOSPITAL
12.8 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. Donaldson is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 4%), with 19 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. Donaldson experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Donaldson performed 230 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Donaldson receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Donaldson received a total of $172,041 from 15 companies across 322 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. Donaldson's costs compare to other sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physicians in Lithia?
Dr. Donaldson's average Medicare payment per service is $62. 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. Donaldson) 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 →