Dr. Bruce Nicholson, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Nicholson
Dr. Bruce Nicholson is a pain medicine specialist in Allentown, PA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Nicholson performed 886 Medicare services across 659 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Nicholson received a total of $107,226 from 35 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 309 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain medicine. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Nicholson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
337 | $91 | $214 |
| 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. |
109 | $72 | $475 |
| 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. |
77 | $119 | $316 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
50 | $65 | $180 |
| 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. |
33 | $91 | $460 |
| 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. |
31 | $51 | $231 |
| Spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion A procedure to place an electrode array into the spine through the skin. The electrode is used to deliver electrical stimulation to the nervous system. |
29 | $255 | $3,180 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
29 | $42 | $326 |
| Spinal drug pump reprogramming and refill A physician electronically adjusts the settings of a spinal drug infusion pump and refills its medication reservoir. |
27 | $33 | $255 |
| 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. |
27 | $140 | $804 |
| 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. |
27 | $62 | $146 |
| Minimally invasive spine decompression, lower spine A minimally invasive procedure to remove bone from the lower spine to relieve pressure on nerve tissue, guided by imaging and accessed through the skin. |
25 | $697 | $2,525 |
| 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. |
25 | $80 | $485 |
| 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. |
21 | $61 | $1,175 |
| Spinal neurostimulator generator insertion Surgical placement of a spinal neurostimulator generator or receiver device. |
15 | $169 | $1,945 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
13 | $86 | $508 |
| Insertion of programmable spinal drug infusion pump A surgical procedure to implant a programmable pump into the spinal canal for delivering medication. |
11 | $206 | $1,425 |
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 (75%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in pain medicine and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for pain medicine in PA.
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. Nicholson is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 1% of PA peers, 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
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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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