Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Daniel Cavanaugh, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · Chapel Hill, NC
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. Cavanaugh 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. Cavanaugh
Dr. Daniel Cavanaugh is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Chapel Hill, NC, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cavanaugh performed 1,886 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cavanaugh received a total of $206,390 from 14 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 223 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. Cavanaugh 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.
✓ 16 years of NPI registration
▲ Top 19% volume in NC
$206,390 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary — 2023
Medicare Utilization ↗1,886
Medicare services
Top 19% in NC for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$255
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. |
342 | $104 | $254 |
| 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. |
311 | $335 | $2,182 |
| 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. |
271 | $68 | $163 |
| 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. |
215 | $136 | $417 |
| 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. |
145 | $81 | $296 |
| 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. |
139 | $180 | $3,570 |
| 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. |
72 | $225 | $1,190 |
| 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. |
52 | $577 | $8,542 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back. |
45 | $659 | $5,744 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 37 | $1,285 | $6,619 |
| 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. |
33 | $109 | $342 |
| Spinal fusion of neck, posterior approach A surgical procedure to join two or more vertebrae in the cervical spine using a back approach to stabilize the neck. |
27 | $946 | $7,103 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment Surgical removal of part of the spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves in one segment. |
26 | $564 | $8,532 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 7-12 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the back involving 7 to 12 spine bone segments. |
25 | $711 | $6,306 |
| Anterior spinal fusion with partial disc removal, each additional disc This procedure involves fusing spine bones together through an incision in the front of the body, with partial removal of the disc, for each additional disc treated. |
21 | $272 | $2,839 |
| Anterior lumbar interbody fusion with partial disc removal A surgical procedure to fuse the lower spine bones by accessing the area through the abdomen and partially removing a spinal disc. |
19 | $706 | $7,515 |
| Insertion of instrumentation to pelvic bones A surgical procedure involving the placement of hardware or devices into the pelvic bones. |
19 | $312 | $1,582 |
| Initial hospital admission, low complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving straightforward or low-level medical decision making, with at least 40 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
19 | $70 | $205 |
| 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. |
16 | $1,497 | $8,128 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release during fusion This procedure involves removing part of the bone in a single segment of the lower spine to release the spinal cord or nerves, performed during a spinal fusion. |
16 | $225 | $1,155 |
| Placement of stabilizing device to back of 1 spine bone in neck A procedure involving the placement of a stabilizing device on the back of a single vertebra in the neck. |
13 | $659 | $5,964 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 2-3 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the front of two to three spinal segments. |
12 | $633 | $6,072 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
11 | $151 | $367 |
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.
27.5% high complexity
0.0% medium
72.5% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$206,390
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $29,484/year across 7 years
Top 19% in NC for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
14
Companies
223
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
$30,225
2023
$33,552
2022
$64,558
2021
$66,196
2020
$4,637
2019
$6,686
2018
$536
Payments by company (2024)
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$29,671
Medtronic, Inc.
$178
Baxter Healthcare
$142
Nevro Corp.
$127
Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
$61
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$46
Top 3 companies account for 99.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$202,566
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,230
Nevro Corp.
$649
Baxter Healthcare
$649
Medtronic, Inc.
$555
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$297
Stryker Corporation
$122
NuVasive, Inc.
$112
Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
$61
Cerapedics Inc.
$46
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$46
Ethicon US, LLC
$22
CMP Pharma, Inc.
$21
Bioventus LLC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 99.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AXSOS · Atorvaliq · AttraX · Battalion PLIF - PS · Biologics · Bonescalpel · CD HORIZON · FLOSEAL · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · INTELLIS · INVICTUS OPEN · IdentiTi · Invictus MIS · Invictus OPEN · LIF · MEDTRONIC REUSABLE INSTRUMENTS · Magellan · NONE · O-ARM-ST · O-ARM-Spine · Omnia · OsseoScrew · Other - Miscellaneous · RIALTO · STRATAFIX · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Solus ALIF · UNID_PASS
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
Orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in nearby ZIP areas
10
County median income
$88,553
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
UNC HOSPITALS
4.3 mi
4.3 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. Cavanaugh is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 19% in NC), 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
Is Dr. Cavanaugh experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cavanaugh performed 342 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. Cavanaugh receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cavanaugh received a total of $206,390 from 14 companies across 223 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. Cavanaugh's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in Chapel Hill?
Dr. Cavanaugh'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. Cavanaugh) 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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