Dr. Benjamin Watson, D.O.
What this data tells you about Dr. Watson
Dr. Benjamin Watson is an orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery physician in Columbus, GA, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Watson performed 2,104 Medicare services across 1,535 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Watson received a total of $13,541 from 24 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 86 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic foot and ankle 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. Watson 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foot X-ray, 3+ views An X-ray imaging test of the foot that captures at least three different views to evaluate the bones and joints. |
571 | $22 | $143 |
| 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. |
305 | $83 | $340 |
| 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. |
293 | $59 | $241 |
| Ankle X-ray, minimum 3 views An X-ray imaging test of the ankle that captures at least three different angles to evaluate the bones and joints. |
222 | $23 | $133 |
| 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. |
175 | $101 | $492 |
| Betamethasone steroid injection An injection containing a combination of betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate. |
131 | $5 | $45 |
| Joint fluid aspiration or injection, medium joint Removal of fluid from a medium-sized joint or injection of medication into the joint space. |
59 | $40 | $175 |
| Bone graft harvest from large bone Surgical removal of bone tissue from a large bone to be used as a graft for another part of the body. |
43 | $99 | $4,131 |
| Partial removal of foot or heel bone Surgical removal of a portion of a bone in the foot or heel. This procedure involves cutting away part of the affected bone structure. |
32 | $168 | $3,112 |
| Big toe joint fusion with foot Surgical procedure to fuse the big toe joint to the foot. This stabilizes the joint by connecting the bones. |
30 | $405 | $4,176 |
| MRI of leg joint, without contrast A magnetic resonance imaging scan of a joint in the leg performed without the use of contrast dye. |
28 | $93 | $932 |
| Bunion correction surgery Surgical procedure to correct a bunion, which is a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of the big toe. |
27 | $173 | $3,788 |
| Adult fiberglass short leg cast supplies Materials used to apply a fiberglass cast to the lower leg for an adult patient. |
27 | $37 | $163 |
| Incision of foot and toe joint capsule A surgical procedure involving an incision into the joint capsule of the foot or toe. |
26 | $125 | $2,526 |
| Correction of toe joint deformity A surgical procedure to correct a deformity in a toe joint. This involves realigning the joint structure to restore proper function and appearance. |
23 | $144 | $2,737 |
| Short leg cast application Application of a cast to the lower leg to immobilize and support the area during healing. |
23 | $56 | $333 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
21 | $51 | $345 |
| Removal of deep implant from bone A surgical procedure to extract a deep implant that is embedded within the bone. |
18 | $213 | $3,195 |
| Closed treatment of broken bone in forefoot or midfoot This procedure involves realigning a broken bone in the front or middle part of the foot without making a surgical incision. |
15 | $130 | $1,145 |
| Partial removal of foot bone to straighten toe A surgical procedure involving the incision or partial removal of a foot bone, excluding the big toe, to correct toe alignment. |
12 | $169 | $2,964 |
| MRI of leg, without contrast A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the leg performed without the use of contrast dye to visualize internal structures. |
12 | $102 | $740 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
11 | $88 | $313 |
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)
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (44%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.
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 reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Watson is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 29% in GA), with consulting-driven industry engagement, with 16 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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. 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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