Medicare Enrolled
Dr. John Atwater, M.D.
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · Vero Beach, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
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. Atwater 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. Atwater
Dr. John Atwater is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Vero Beach, FL, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Atwater performed 1,499 Medicare services across 931 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Atwater received a total of $482,620 from 32 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 155 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician. The majority of payments are classified as financial or ownership interests (royalties, licensing fees, or investment interests). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Atwater 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
▲ Top 31% volume in FL
$482,620 industry payments
Florida License Status
FL DOH · MQA1
Active license
None
Board action on record
0
Recent admin complaints
| Profession | License # | Status | Expires | Board Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Doctor | 119810 | Clear | January 31, 2028 | — |
Data from Florida Department of Health Medical Quality Assurance.
License records are public under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.
Verify directly on FL DOH →
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,499
Medicare services
Top 31% in FL for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
931
Unique beneficiaries
$70
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~79 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betamethasone steroid injection An injection containing a combination of betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate. |
303 | $5 | $69 |
| 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. |
249 | $97 | $1,138 |
| Contrast dye for imaging (iodine-based) A contrast agent containing 300-399 mg/ml of iodine used to enhance imaging studies. It is administered per milliliter to improve the visibility of internal structures. |
199 | $0 | $30 |
| 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. |
165 | $72 | $778 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
94 | $224 | $2,383 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
65 | $122 | $1,738 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views An X-ray imaging test of the lower back and sacrum using at least four different angles to visualize the bones and joints. |
55 | $42 | $532 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum 6 views An X-ray imaging test that captures at least six views of the lower back and sacral spine to evaluate bone structure and alignment. |
55 | $49 | $605 |
| Additional sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into an additional sacral spine nerve root level, guided by imaging. |
45 | $100 | $1,036 |
| MRI of lower spine, without contrast A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the lower spinal canal that does not use contrast dye to create detailed images of the spine. |
42 | $161 | $2,294 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
33 | $140 | $1,691 |
| Home health plan of care certification Certification by a physician or allowed practitioner for Medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care. This includes contacting the home health agency and reviewing reports of patient status required by physicians. |
29 | $41 | $558 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
28 | $51 | $654 |
| Trigger point injection, 1-2 muscles A procedure involving the injection of medication into one or two specific muscles to treat trigger points. |
27 | $43 | $590 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views with bending An X-ray imaging test of the lower back and sacrum using 2 to 3 views, including bending positions. |
25 | $32 | $446 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the upper or middle spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
24 | $188 | $2,003 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 6 or more views An X-ray imaging test of the upper spine using six or more separate views to capture detailed images of the bones and structures in that area. |
18 | $49 | $623 |
| Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space. |
15 | $237 | $3,095 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging An injection into a second spinal facet joint in the upper or middle spine, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement. |
14 | $90 | $1,001 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
14 | $188 | $1,821 |
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.
1.0% high complexity
54.9% medium
44.1% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$482,620
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $68,946/year across 7 years
Top 11% in FL for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
32
Companies
155
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.
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$467,084 (96.8%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$15,421 (3.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$115 (0.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$27,019
2023
$39,330
2022
$40,057
2021
$74,252
2020
$83,642
2019
$83,814
2018
$134,506
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
NuVasive, Inc.
$442,300
Globus Medical, Inc.
$24,784
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$5,082
MML US, Inc.
$3,396
MEDACTA USA, INC.
$1,949
Aesculap Implant Systems, LLC
$1,299
Centinel Spine, LLC
$950
Medtronic, Inc.
$702
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$672
SPINEFRONTIER, INC.
$209
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$164
SI-BONE, Inc.
$139
CoreLink, LLC
$137
SI-BONE, INC.
$89
Precision Spine, Inc.
$84
SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
$83
Integrity Implants Inc.
$79
Alevio, LLC
$76
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$62
Theragen, Inc.
$48
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$45
ZIMVIE INC.
$36
4WEB, INC.
$32
PARADIGM SPINE, LLC
$31
Boston Scientific Corporation
$27
Spine Wave, Inc.
$25
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$24
Augmedics Inc.
$23
Cerapedics Inc.
$22
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$21
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$14
Highridge Medical LLC
$13
Top 3 companies account for 97.8% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACIFT Solofuse · ACTIVL · Accurian · ActaStim-S · BIOFIX · Biomet SpinalPak · Biomet SpinalPak Non-invasive Spine Fusion Stimulator System · CAVUX Cervical Cage · CFNS StimQ Peripheral Nerve StimulatorSystem · Cervical-STIM · Exparel · FlareHawk · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · General - Pain Management · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · KODIAK · Kneehab XP · LIF · MD Max Screws · Mariner · Multiple Products · MySpine · NVM5 · OSTEOCOOL RF ABLATION · Other - MIS · Other - Miscellaneous · PRODISC C VIVO · PRODISC L · ReActiv8 · SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM · SYNCHROMED · SYNCHROMEDII · SiCure · Spinal Pak 2 · XLIF · Xvision · Zilretta · coflex
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 →
Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type.
Equivalent to $32,196 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians within 10 mi
5
Per 100K population
3.1
County median income
$71,049
Nearest hospital
CLEVELAND CLINIC INDIAN RIVER HOSPITAL
0.0 mi
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. Atwater is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 11% of FL peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.
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. Atwater experienced with betamethasone steroid injection?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Atwater performed 303 betamethasone steroid injection 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. Atwater receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Atwater received a total of $482,620 from 32 companies across 155 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. Atwater's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in Vero Beach?
Dr. Atwater's average Medicare payment per service is $70. 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. Atwater) 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 →
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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.
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