Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Joseph Christenbury, M.D.
Ophthalmology · Atlanta, GA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
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. Christenbury 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. Christenbury
Dr. Joseph Christenbury is an ophthalmology specialist in Atlanta, GA, with 13 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Christenbury performed 2,163 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Christenbury received a total of $29,313 from 42 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 280 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Christenbury is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 13 years of NPI registration
▲ Top 46% volume in GA
$29,313 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary — 2023
Medicare Utilization ↗2,163
Medicare services
Top 46% in GA for ophthalmology
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$96
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
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) 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. |
721 | $90 | $320 |
| Corneal topography and eye depth measurement This procedure measures the curvature and depth of the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye. |
356 | $36 | $168 |
| Retinal imaging (OCT scan) This procedure involves imaging the retina to visualize its structure. It is used to examine the back of the eye. |
192 | $29 | $101 |
| Cataract surgery with lens implant Surgical removal of the clouded natural lens of the eye and replacement with an artificial prosthetic lens to restore vision. |
148 | $407 | $2,288 |
| 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. |
132 | $56 | $226 |
| Comprehensive eye exam, established patient A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a patient who has previously been seen by the provider. |
115 | $81 | $316 |
| Retinal photography (fundus photo) This procedure involves taking photographs of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is used to document the condition of the eye's interior structures. |
97 | $22 | $139 |
| Tear duct plug insertion A procedure to insert a small plug into the tear duct opening to help retain tears on the eye surface. |
86 | $96 | $1,053 |
| 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. |
82 | $118 | $418 |
| Laser removal of recurring cataract A laser procedure to remove a recurring cataract within the lens capsule. |
48 | $230 | $1,142 |
| Comprehensive eye exam, new patient A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a new patient. |
44 | $108 | $372 |
| CT scan of cornea A computed tomography scan used to create detailed images of the cornea, the clear front part of the eye. |
44 | $27 | $91 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
26 | $38 | $141 |
| Ultrasound scan of cornea to determine thickness An ultrasound procedure used to measure the thickness of the cornea. |
20 | $7 | $29 |
| Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan) Imaging of the optic nerve. |
19 | $24 | $95 |
| Complex cataract removal with lens implant A surgical procedure to remove a cataract from the eye and insert an artificial lens to restore vision. |
17 | $537 | $2,380 |
| Visual field test, extended A test that maps your complete field of vision to detect blind spots or peripheral vision loss. Extended testing provides a more detailed assessment than a standard visual field exam. |
16 | $22 | $213 |
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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.
6.8% high complexity
12.7% medium
80.4% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$29,313
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $4,188/year across 7 years
Top 8% in GA for ophthalmology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
42
Companies
280
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,254
2023
$8,836
2022
$7,105
2021
$5,550
2020
$2,745
2019
$3,184
2018
$638
Payments by company (2024)
Glaukos Corporation
$327
Alcon Vision LLC
$319
ABBVIE INC.
$141
Dompe US, Inc.
$138
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$79
Harrow Eye, LLC
$74
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$55
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$52
RxSight Inc
$33
LENSAR, Inc.
$23
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 62.7% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Dompe US, Inc.
$4,939
BioTissue Holdings, Inc.
$4,914
TISSUETECH, INC.
$4,891
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$2,478
TissueTech, Inc.
$2,175
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS, INC.
$2,000
Glaukos Corporation
$1,553
Alcon Vision LLC
$1,328
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$611
GLAUKOS CORPORATION
$583
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$389
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$385
Shire North American Group Inc
$356
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$245
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$241
RxSight Inc
$204
Carl Zeiss Meditec USA, Inc.
$191
ABBVIE INC.
$189
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
$189
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$169
Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC
$155
Allergan Inc.
$125
AbbVie Inc.
$123
Thea Pharma Inc.
$115
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$112
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$105
Allergan, Inc.
$95
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$87
Harrow Eye, LLC
$74
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$55
Heidelberg Engineering, Inc.
$32
Mallinckrodt LLC
$29
Baxter Healthcare
$24
Eyevance Pharmaceuticals LLC
$24
LENSAR, Inc.
$23
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$21
Ivantis, Inc
$16
Lumenis, Inc
$15
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
$15
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$15
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$14
Iridex Corporation
$9
Top 3 companies account for 50.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · ARTEVO 800 · AcrySof · CE-marked KXLA system · Catalys Laser System · Cequa · Clareon · DEXTENZA · DEXYCU · DURYSTA · FLOSEAL · Flarex · HYDRUS Microstent · Hydrus Microstent · IACCESS · IHEEZO · INVELTYS · ISTENT INJECT W · KXL SYSTEM · KXL System · KXL system (not refurbished) · LENSAR LASER SYSTEM · LIGHT ADJUSTABLE LENS (LAL) AND LIGHT DELIVERY DEVICE (LDD) · LOTEMAX GEL · LOTEMAX SM · LUMIGAN · Lumenis Pulse 120H · MIEBO · OMNI · OMNI(R) SURGICAL SYSTEM (US) · OXERVATE · Oxervate · PROKERA · PROLENSA · PanOptix · Phacofragmentation Accessories · Photrexa · Prokera · QUATERA 700 · RESTASIS · RESTASIS MULTIDOSE · RXSIGHT CONTACT LENS · Rhopressa · Rocklatan · Spectralis · TEPEZZA · TYRVAYA · TearCare SmartLid · Tecnis 1-piece IOL · Tecnis IOL · Tecnis Multifocal Family of 1-piece IOLS · Tecnis Symfony IOL · Tecnis Toric 1-piece IOL · Tecnis iTec Preloaded Delivery System · VERACITY SURGICAL · VEVYE · VUITY · VYZULTA · XDEMVY · XELPROS · XIIDRA · enVista MX60 IOL · iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass System Model iS3
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Geographic Context
Ophthalmologists in nearby ZIP areas
245
County median income
$98,712
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
RIDGEVIEW INSTITUTE
2.2 mi
2.2 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | NPPES snapshot; verify current record |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | PECOS snapshot |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not included | N/A |
This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Christenbury is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Christenbury experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Christenbury performed 721 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Christenbury receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Christenbury received a total of $29,313 from 42 companies across 280 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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. Christenbury's costs compare to other ophthalmologists in Atlanta?
Dr. Christenbury'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. Christenbury) 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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. Data Coverage reflects 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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