Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Scott Johnston, M.D.
Interventional Pain Medicine Physician · Jacksonville, NC
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-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. Johnston 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. Johnston
Dr. Scott Johnston is an interventional pain medicine physician in Jacksonville, NC, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Johnston performed 3,701 Medicare services across 527 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Johnston received a total of $21,107 from 60 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 848 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in interventional pain medicine physician. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Johnston 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 23% volume in NC
$21,107 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,701
Medicare services
Top 23% in NC for interventional pain medicine physician
527
Unique beneficiaries
$23
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~195 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
2,411 | $1 | $4 |
| Dexamethasone injection (steroid) An injection of dexamethasone sodium phosphate, a corticosteroid medication, administered in a dose of 1 milligram. |
732 | $0 | $25 |
| Injection into lower spine canal with imaging guidance A procedure where a substance is injected into the lower part of the spinal canal. The injection is performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
180 | $189 | $587 |
| 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. |
87 | $66 | $125 |
| 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. |
69 | $90 | $180 |
| Spinal injection with imaging guidance A procedure where medication is injected into the middle or upper part of the spinal canal. Imaging technology is used to guide the needle to the correct location. |
53 | $188 | $599 |
| Ultrasound-guided large joint aspiration or injection This procedure uses ultrasound imaging to guide the removal of fluid from or the injection of medication into a large joint. |
40 | $88 | $322 |
| 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. |
39 | $155 | $332 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
27 | $75 | $109 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint A procedure to destroy nerves in a single lower or sacral spinal facet joint using imaging guidance to target pain signals. |
24 | $405 | $1,031 |
| 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. |
23 | $160 | $904 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
16 | $190 | $398 |
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.
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$21,107
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,015/year across 7 years
Top 3% in NC for interventional pain medicine physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
60
Companies
848
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.
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$21,107 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$3,242
2023
$4,324
2022
$3,632
2021
$3,523
2020
$1,950
2019
$1,696
2018
$2,741
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
SI-BONE, INC.
$1,017
Medtronic, Inc.
$613
Boston Scientific Corporation
$399
ABBVIE INC.
$316
Nevro Corp.
$151
Abbott Laboratories
$141
Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC
$102
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$84
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$76
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$72
Valinor Pharma, LLC
$72
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$61
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$31
Medline Industries LP
$25
PAINTEQ LLC
$25
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$23
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$21
PFIZER INC.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 62.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic, Inc.
$5,118
Boston Scientific Corporation
$2,731
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,482
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$1,402
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$1,184
SI-BONE, INC.
$1,046
ABBVIE INC.
$839
Abbott Laboratories
$732
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$545
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$492
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$456
Allergan, Inc.
$312
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$311
PFIZER INC.
$306
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$260
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$228
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$201
Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC
$194
Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc.
$182
Amgen Inc.
$174
Nevro Corp.
$174
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$169
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$156
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$151
Lundbeck LLC
$149
Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
$136
FORTE BIO-PHARMA LLC
$126
AbbVie Inc.
$125
Lilly USA, LLC
$121
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$117
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$109
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$107
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$102
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$92
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$91
Valinor Pharma, LLC
$88
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$85
Kaleo, Inc.
$84
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$77
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$72
Almatica Pharma LLC
$70
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$66
Baudax Bio Inc.
$43
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$38
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$37
MDD US Operations, LLC
$35
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$33
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$30
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$30
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$28
Medline Industries LP
$25
PAINTEQ LLC
$25
Radius Health, Inc.
$24
PROTEGA PHARMACEUTIALS LLC
$17
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$15
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$14
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$13
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$13
Egalet US Inc
$12
Allergan Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 44.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADAPTIVESTIM · AIMOVIG · AJOVY · ANJESO · Aimovig · Amitiza · BELBUCA · BOTOX · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · Belbuca · CFNS StimQ Peripheral Nerve StimulatorSystem · COMIRNATY · DBS · DUEXIS · EMGALITY · ETERNA · Evoke · Evoke SCS · Evzio · FIXATE · FLECTOR · Fixate · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - THERAPIES · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GRALISE · General - Pain Management · General - Therapies · Horizant · IFUSE IMPLANT SYSTEM · INCEPTIV · INFINION · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE · LYRICA · LYVISPAH · Levorphanol · Levorphanol Tartrate · Licart · MOVANTIK · MYOBLOC · Morphabond ER · Movantik · NALOCET · NAPRELAN · NURTEC ODT · Nalocet · Nalu Neurostimulation System · Nucynta · OSTEOCOOL RF ABLATION · OSTEOCOOL RF ABLATION SYSTEM · OXAYDO · Octrode SCS Leads · PAINTEQ · PROCLAIM · PROLATE · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · QULIPTA · QUTENZA · QUVIVIQ · Qutenza · RELISTOR · RELISTOR ORAL · RESTORE · REYVOW · Roxybond · SCS IPGs · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SYMPROIC · SYNCHROMED · SYNCHROMEDII · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · StimQ Peripheral Nerve StimulatorSystem · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w Receiver · Superion · Superion Indirect Decompression System · Tymlos · UBRELVY · VANTA ADAPTIVESTIM · VECTRIS · VYEPTI · WAVEWRITER ALPHA · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · XTAMPZAER · Xeomin · Xtampza ER · ZOHYDRO ER · ZTLido · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · mild Device Kit
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 →
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for interventional pain medicine physician in NC.
Geographic Context
Interventional pain medicine physicians within 10 mi
2
Per 100K population
1.0
County median income
$64,568
Nearest hospital
ONSLOW MEMORIAL 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 reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Johnston is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 23% in NC), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 3% of NC peers, 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. Johnston experienced with steroid injection (triamcinolone)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Johnston performed 2,411 steroid injection (triamcinolone) 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. Johnston receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Johnston received a total of $21,107 from 60 companies across 848 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. Johnston's costs compare to other interventional pain medicine physicians in Jacksonville?
Dr. Johnston's average Medicare payment per service is $23. 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. Johnston) 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. 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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