Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher Ruhnke, MD

Orthopedic Surgery · Cincinnati, OH
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
6909 GOOD SAMARITAN DRIVE, Cincinnati, OH 45247
5132452500
Registered in NPPES since 2005
NPI: 1104812429 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. Ruhnke 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. Ruhnke

Dr. Christopher Ruhnke is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Cincinnati, OH, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ruhnke performed 1,668 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ruhnke received a total of $4,589 from 9 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 40 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. Ruhnke 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.

✓ 20 years of NPI registration ▲ Top 30% volume in OH $4,589 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary — 2023

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,668
Medicare services
Top 30% in OH for orthopedic surgery
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$53
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
Betamethasone steroid injection
An injection containing a combination of betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate.
362 $5 $18
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
266 $54 $341
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)
A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered.
173 $1 $5
Hyaluronan injection (Euflexxa) for joint
An injection of hyaluronan or its derivative, specifically Euflexxa, administered directly into a joint space.
157 $98 $348
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.
156 $62 $158
Knee X-ray, 3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint that captures three different angles to evaluate the bones and surrounding structures.
130 $26 $82
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.
128 $72 $236
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.
113 $90 $235
Knee X-ray, 1-2 views
An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint using one to two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
72 $24 $69
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the hip joint using two to three different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
49 $30 $85
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views
An X-ray imaging test of the shoulder joint using at least two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
42 $21 $66
Total knee replacement 20 $986 $3,200
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.
1.2% high complexity
57.4% medium
41.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$4,589
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $656/year across 7 years
Top 45% in OH for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
9
Companies
40
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
$1,786
2023
$591
2022
$207
2021
$125
2020
$43
2019
$666
2018
$1,171

Payments by company (2024)

Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$1,772
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$2,178
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$2,044
Smith & Nephew, Inc.
$141
Bioventus LLC
$118
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$43
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$19
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$18
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$14
Legacy Ortho LLC
$13
Top 3 companies account for 95.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ATTUNE · AccuFill · DVR Anatomic Kickstand · Durolane · EUFLEXXA · Gel One · JOURNEY II · MyMobility · NCB Instruments/Plates/Screws · OR3O Dual Mobility · Persona · Persona Revision · REAL INTELLIGENCE · ROSA · SCP Bone Substitute · SYNVISC-ONE · TRIGEN InterTAN · Zilretta
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 →
Looking for an orthopedic surgery specialist in Cincinnati?
Compare orthopedic surgeons in the Cincinnati area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse orthopedic surgeons nearby

Geographic Context

Orthopedic surgeons in nearby ZIP areas
173
County median income
$70,816
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
GLENWOOD BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL
4.4 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. Ruhnke is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 30% in OH), with 20 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. Ruhnke experienced with betamethasone steroid injection?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ruhnke performed 362 betamethasone steroid injection 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. Ruhnke receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ruhnke received a total of $4,589 from 9 companies across 40 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. Ruhnke's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Cincinnati?
Dr. Ruhnke's average Medicare payment per service is $53. 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. Ruhnke) 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 →
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.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

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. Industry payment disclosure alone establishes neither wrongdoing nor legality. 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 →