Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Colin Whitaker, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · Bethlehem, PA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
801 OSTRUM STREET, Bethlehem, PA 18015
4845261735
In practice since 2016 (10 years)
NPI: 1982053716 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. Whitaker 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 →
Are you Dr. Whitaker? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Whitaker

Dr. Colin Whitaker is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Bethlehem, PA, with 10 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Whitaker performed 624 Medicare services across 572 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Whitaker received a total of $3,597 from 13 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 36 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic surgery of the spine 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. Whitaker 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.

✓ 10 years in practice ▲ 624 Medicare services $3,597 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
624
Medicare services
Bottom 46% in PA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
572
Unique beneficiaries
$98
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~62 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.
 229 $91 $213
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.
 161 $64 $145
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.
 126 $109 $322
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
 78 $41 $85
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.
 17 $136 $279
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.
 13 $817 $4,827
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 ↗
$3,597
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $514/year across 7 years
Bottom 33% in PA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
13
Companies
36
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
$2,741 (76.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$856 (23.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$142
2023
$222
2022
$424
2021
$1,295
2020
$657
2019
$432
2018
$426

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$109
Medtronic, Inc.
$33
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Stryker Corporation
$1,187
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$803
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$467
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$208
Medtronic, Inc.
$183
SI-BONE, Inc.
$161
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$143
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$109
SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
$96
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$93
Cerapedics Inc.
$72
SI-BONE, INC.
$53
DJO, LLC
$22
Top 3 companies account for 68.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Alps Foot · Alps Plates and Instruments · Ballast · CMF OL1000 · Comp Reverse Shoulder E · DVR Crosslock Plates/Screws/Pegs · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · IFUSE IMPLANT · INSTRUMENTS-GENERAL SURGERY · MAGNETOS · MESA · MESA SPINAL SYSTEM · Mobi-C · NCB Instruments/Plates/Screws · NexGen 7 · PELVIS II · PRESTIGE LP CERVICAL DISC SYSTEM · SALTO TALARIS TOTAL ANKLE PROSTHESIS · SERRATO · TRIGEN Femoral (FAN/TAN/Meta Nail) · VIPER
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 (76%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

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

Orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians within 10 mi
3
Per 100K population
0.9
County median income
$86,687
Nearest hospital
ST LUKES HOSPITAL BETHLEHEM
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. Whitaker is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Whitaker experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Whitaker performed 229 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. Whitaker receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Whitaker received a total of $3,597 from 13 companies across 36 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. Whitaker's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in Bethlehem?
Dr. Whitaker's average Medicare payment per service is $98. 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. Whitaker) 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.

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. 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 →