Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Nikhil Thakur, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · North Andover, MA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
575 TURNPIKE ST, North Andover, MA 01845
9787941946
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1871710756 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. Thakur 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. Thakur

Dr. Nikhil Thakur is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in North Andover, MA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Thakur performed 567 Medicare services across 426 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Thakur received a total of $166,069 from 19 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 449 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 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. Thakur 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.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ Top 34% volume in MA $166,069 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
567
Medicare services
Top 34% in MA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
426
Unique beneficiaries
$255
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~30 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
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.
127 $97 $380
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.
76 $39 $443
Spinal fusion of additional segment
A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column.
60 $309 $2,003
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment
This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment.
53 $166 $1,594
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.
45 $66 $262
Additional spine bone segment removal
Surgical removal of an additional segment of bone from the spine during the same procedure.
33 $287 $1,861
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.
31 $201 $887
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment
A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment.
27 $544 $4,187
Lower spine bone segment removal
A surgical procedure to cut into or remove a segment of bone from the lower spine.
26 $634 $7,782
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views
An X-ray imaging test that captures 2 to 3 views of the lower back and sacral spine to visualize the bones and joints in this area.
22 $26 $334
Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments
Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back.
21 $603 $3,901
Aspiration of bone marrow for spine bone graft 18 $56 $295
Fusion of spine in lower back 16 $1,272 $6,143
Lower back spinal fusion with bone and disc removal
A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae in the lower back. It involves removing part of the spine bone and a disc to stabilize the area.
12 $1,448 $9,551
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.
21.0% high complexity
0.0% medium
79.0% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$166,069
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $23,724/year across 7 years
Top 24% in MA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
19
Companies
449
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
$151,993 (91.5%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$9,332 (5.6%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,745 (2.9%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$20,756
2023
$8,724
2022
$25,262
2021
$6,623
2020
$24,869
2019
$23,484
2018
$56,351

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Stryker Corporation
$13,287
Expanding Innovations, Inc.
$7,414
PAINTEQ LLC
$54
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Stryker Corporation
$135,234
Expanding Innovations, Inc.
$9,332
DePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
$5,166
Exapnding Innovations, Inc.
$5,100
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$4,626
4WEB, Inc.
$1,506
Life Spine, Inc.
$1,288
4WEB, INC.
$920
Abbott Laboratories
$808
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$660
ulrich medical USA, Inc.
$382
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$355
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$312
PAINTEQ LLC
$98
Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
$83
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$71
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$48
Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.
$45
Boston Scientific Corporation
$36
Top 3 companies account for 90.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADVANCED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · AERO · AIRO · ALEUTIAN INTERBODY SYSTEMS · ALIF PLATE · ARIA · AVIATOR · AVS · AXIUM · All Spine Stimulation · Arx · Axium INS DRG IPG · CAPRI · CAPRI CORPECTOMY CAGE SYSTEM · CASCADIA · CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM · CASCADIA LATERAL 3D · CAYMAN · CERVICAL PLATE · CHESAPEAKE · CHESAPEAKE STABILIZATION SYSTEM · ES2 · ES2 SPINAL SYSTEM · ESCALATE · EVEREST · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · EVEREST XT · EXPANDABLE CAGE · EXPAREL · EXPEDIUM · GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION · General - Pain Management · ILIOS · IMBIBE · K2M CERVICAL · LATERAL ACCESS SPINAL SYSTEM · MAKO · MESA · MESA RAIL · MESA SMALL STATURE SPINAL SYSTEM · MESA SPINAL SYSTEM · MOJAVE · MOJAVE EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM · MONTEREY AL · Medical Device · Mobi-C · NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · NILE · NILE ALTERNATIVE FIXATION SYSTEM · NONE · OASYS · OCTRODE · OZARK CERVICAL PLATE SYSTEM · Octrode SCS Leads · PAINTEQ · POSTERIOR CERVICAL · PRO-LINK STAND-ALONE CERVICAL SPACER SYSTEM · PROCLAIM · PROLIFT · PYRENEES · PYRENEES SEMI-CONSTRAINED · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Protege Family of SCS IPGs · RAVINE LATERAL ACCESS SYSTEM · RIO · SAHARA · SAHARA STABILIZATION SYSTEM · SCS IPGs · SERRATO · SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM · SYMPHONY · SlimTip lead DRG Lead · TRITANIUM · VITOSS · X-PAC · XIA · XIA 3 · YUKON · YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM
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 (92%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Looking for an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in North Andover?
Compare orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in the North Andover area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians within 10 mi
24
Per 100K population
3.0
County median income
$99,431
Nearest hospital
HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL
6.5 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. Thakur is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement, with 19 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Thakur experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Thakur performed 127 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. Thakur receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Thakur received a total of $166,069 from 19 companies across 449 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. Thakur's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in North Andover?
Dr. Thakur's average Medicare payment per service is $255. 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. Thakur) 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. 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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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 →