Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher James, M.D.

Orthopedic Surgery · Palm Harbor, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
37026 US HIGHWAY 19 N, Palm Harbor, FL 34684
7272011007
In practice since 2014 (11 years)
NPI: 1790190700 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. James 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. James

Dr. Christopher James is an orthopedic surgery in Palm Harbor, FL, with 11 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. James performed 1,782 Medicare services across 1,289 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. James received a total of $11,192 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 135 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. James 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.

✓ 11 years in practice▲ Top 42% volume in FL$ $11,192 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,782
Medicare services
Top 42% in FL for orthopedic surgery
1,289
Unique beneficiaries
$96
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~162 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)269$93$320
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)228$63$212
Joint injection, major joint212$47$348
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg158$6$12
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views148$33$197
New patient office visit (45-59 min)124$109$499
X-ray of knee, 4 or more views114$34$222
Knee X-ray, 3 views83$30$188
Hyaluronan or derivative, hyalgan, supartz or visco-3, for intra-articular injection, per dose80$58$280
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity61$103$498
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 and50$40$120
X-ray of wrist, minimum of 3 views39$27$197
Total hip replacement35$1,020$9,861
Computer-assisted, fluoroscopic image-guided musculoskeletal surgical navigational orthopedic operation34$197$759
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views34$22$174
Total knee replacement23$1,033$9,017
X-ray of ankle, minimum of 3 views19$25$175
X-ray of pelvis, 1-2 views16$21$180
X-ray of hand, minimum of 3 views15$26$177
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views14$39$288
Mri scan of leg joint without contrast14$160$2,215
Treatment of broken neck of thigh bone with bone implant12$927$6,832
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.
3.3% high complexity
26.0% medium
70.7% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$11,192
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,599/year across 7 years
Top 35% in FL for orthopedic surgery
23
Companies
135
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
$11,192 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,010
2023
$2,006
2022
$3,091
2021
$507
2020
$1,659
2019
$2,070
2018
$848

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$3,236
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$2,911
Stryker Corporation
$2,494
Medacta USA, Inc.
$471
PAINTEQ LLC
$440
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$302
Maxx Orthopedics, Inc.
$286
Osteoremedies, LLC
$204
Theragen, Inc.
$116
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$92
MEDLINE INDUSTRIES LP
$88
SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
$84
ORTHALIGN INC
$84
Coastal Medical Technologies LLC
$76
MVP Orthopedics Inc
$63
Coastal Medical Technologies Llc
$58
BREG, INC
$46
Boston Scientific Corporation
$44
Ossur Americas, Inc.
$24
Solventum Corporation
$24
Kerecis Limited
$19
Sanara MedTech Inc.
$17
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$15
Top 3 companies account for 77.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE · ACTIS · AMIStem · ATTUNE · Accell Evo3 · Arcos · Avenir · Breg VPULSE · CAPRI CORPECTOMY CAGE SYSTEM · CORAIL · CellerateRx · Connected Health-MyMobility · EXETER · Exparel · G7 · GAMMA · GMK Sphere · INC. · INSIGNIA · JOURNEY II · Kerecis Omega3 SurgiClose · Kneehab · Kneehab XP · LEGION · MAKO · MEDLINE INDUSTRIES · Miami J · NA · NONE · ORTHALIGN PLUS · OSS Orthopedic Salvage System · Oxford · PAINTEQ · PICO · PREVENA · Persona · PlasmaFlow · PolarCareWave · REAL INTELLIGENCE · REDAPT · ROSA · Refobacin · Remedy Spacer · T2 · T2 ALPHA · TRIATHLON · TRIGEN INTERTAN · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $628 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a orthopedic surgery in Palm Harbor?
Compare orthopedic surgerys in the Palm Harbor area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Orthopedic Surgerys within 10 mi
203
Per 100K population
21.1
County median income
$70,293
Nearest hospital
MEASE DUNEDIN HOSPITAL
5.0 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. James is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and low-engagement industry engagement.

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. James experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. James performed 269 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. James receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. James received a total of $11,192 from 23 companies across 135 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. James's costs compare to other orthopedic surgerys in Palm Harbor?
Dr. James's average Medicare payment per service is $96. 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. James) 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 →