Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Christopher Vije, MD
Anesthesiology · Austin, TX
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. Vije 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. Vije
Dr. Christopher Vije is an anesthesiology in Austin, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Vije performed 16,312 Medicare services across 3,205 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Vije received a total of $14,879 from 42 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 875 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in anesthesiology. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Vije is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 19 years in practice▲ Top 0% volume in TX$ $14,879 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗16,312
Medicare services
Top 0% in TX for anesthesiology
3,205
Unique beneficiaries
$32
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~859 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injection, bupivicaine, not otherwise specified, 0.5 mg | 6,119 | $0 | $3 |
| Contrast dye for imaging, lower concentration | 2,637 | $0 | $1 |
| Injection, propofol, 10 mg | 1,395 | $0 | $0 |
| Extended-release steroid injection (Zilretta) | 1,248 | $13 | $53 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 821 | $66 | $146 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 370 | $101 | $217 |
| Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 80 mg | 349 | $9 | $20 |
| Injection, midazolam hydrochloride, per 1 mg | 329 | $0 | $1 |
| Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure, each additional 15 minutes | 272 | $9 | $78 |
| Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes | 236 | $41 | $201 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views | 220 | $33 | $90 |
| X-ray of spine, 1 view | 200 | $20 | $56 |
| Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg | 191 | $0 | $4 |
| Injection, fentanyl citrate, 0.1 mg | 191 | $1 | $4 |
| Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid drug into sacral spine nerve root using imaging guidance, single level | 163 | $227 | $783 |
| Destruction of lower or sacral spinal facet joint nerves using imaging guidance, each additional facet joint | 161 | $201 | $524 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement | 150 | $90 | $239 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 133 | $123 | $331 |
| Joint injection, major joint | 128 | $57 | $210 |
| Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid drug into sacral spine nerve root using imaging guidance, each additional level | 88 | $92 | $267 |
| Destruction of lower or sacral spinal facet joint nerves using imaging guidance, single facet joint | 86 | $355 | $1,268 |
| X-ray of joint between lower spine and hip bone, 1-2 views | 80 | $27 | $86 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into joint between lower spine and hip bone using imaging guidance | 61 | $146 | $589 |
| Injection of lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance, single level | 59 | $194 | $757 |
| Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg | 57 | $6 | $11 |
| Injection of substance into lower spine canal using imaging guidance | 54 | $204 | $746 |
| Injection of lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance, second level | 54 | $104 | $379 |
| Destruction of upper or middle spinal facet joint nerves using imaging guidance, each additional facet joint | 46 | $214 | $573 |
| Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator generator with complex spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulator programming | 46 | $42 | $167 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views | 43 | $33 | $85 |
| Injection of substance into middle or upper spine canal using imaging guidance | 41 | $212 | $760 |
| Injection of upper or middle spine facet joint using imaging guidance, single level | 30 | $182 | $700 |
| Injection of upper or middle spine facet joint using imaging guidance, second level | 29 | $94 | $347 |
| Removal of bone from lower spine for decompression of nerve tissue using imaging guidance, accessed through the skin | 28 | $724 | $2,757 |
| Insertion of spinal neurostimulator electrode array through skin | 26 | $246 | $4,093 |
| Destruction of upper or middle spinal facet joint nerves using imaging guidance, single facet joint | 24 | $353 | $1,279 |
| Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement | 22 | $46 | $206 |
| Insertion of needle into vein (3 years or older) | 20 | $7 | $52 |
| Treatment of broken lower spine bone with placement of stabilizing device | 19 | $4,830 | $22,620 |
| Insertion of spinal neurostimulator generator or receiver | 18 | $182 | $1,121 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views | 18 | $10 | $126 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 18 | $167 | $415 |
| Injection of trigger points, 3 or more muscles | 16 | $43 | $194 |
| Treatment of broken spine bone with stabilizing device, each additional segment | 16 | $2,496 | $13,730 |
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 ↗$14,879
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,126/year across 7 years
Top 3% in TX for anesthesiology
42
Companies
875
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
$14,879 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024$4,343
2023$2,165
2022$1,999
2021$1,358
2020$1,405
2019$1,556
2018$2,054
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Abbott Laboratories
$9,021
SI-BONE, INC.
$1,072
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$694
Medtronic, Inc.
$525
Zyla Life Sciences
$261
Egalet US Inc
$247
Boston Scientific Corporation
$228
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$218
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$210
Zyla Life Sciences, Inc.
$207
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$200
ABBVIE INC.
$179
PFIZER INC.
$167
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$161
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$116
Nevro Corp.
$111
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$109
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$99
Stryker Corporation
$90
AbbVie Inc.
$84
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$73
Orthogenrx Inc.
$71
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$67
Radius Health, Inc.
$66
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$66
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$60
PAINTEQ LLC
$56
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$52
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$51
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$43
Lilly USA, LLC
$38
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$35
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$28
SI-BONE, Inc.
$27
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$27
Pacira Therapeutics, Inc.
$27
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$22
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$17
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$15
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$14
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$14
Kaleo, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 72.5% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AJOVY · Axium INS DRG IPG · BELBUCA · BOTOX · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · Belbuca · COLOGUARD DNA CAPTURE REAGENTS · DRG Accessories · DRG leads · Da Vinci Surgical System · EMGALITY · ETERNA · Evoke · Evzio · Exparel · FLECTOR · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - BPH · GenVisc 850 · Horizant · IFUSE IMPLANT SYSTEM · INFINION · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · IVS - MULTIGEN 2RF · Intracept · Iovera · LYRICA · Morphabond ER · Movantik · NSE - CUTTING ACCESSORIES · NT1100 NT2000iX Simplicity · NURTEC ODT · Octrode SCS Leads · PAINTEQ · PROCLAIM · Penta SCS Leads · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Prodigy Family of SCS IPGs · QULIPTA · QUTENZA · Qutenza · RELISTOR · Radiofrequency Therapy · SCS IPGs · SCS leads · SEGLENTIS · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPRIX · SYMPROIC · SYNCHROMEDII · SYNFLATE · Seglentis · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Tymlos · UBRELVY · VANTA ADAPTIVESTIM · VERTECEM · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XIFAXAN · XTAMPZA · Xtampza ER · ZORVOLEX · ZTLido · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · Zilretta · iFuse Implant · 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 anesthesiology in TX.
Equivalent to $91 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Anesthesiologys within 10 mi
255
Per 100K population
19.5
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER- AUSTIN
7.6 mi
7.6 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 measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Vije is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 0% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 3%), with 19 years of practice experience.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Vije experienced with injection, bupivicaine, not otherwise specified, 0.5 mg?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Vije performed 6,119 injection, bupivicaine, not otherwise specified, 0.5 mg 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. Vije receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Vije received a total of $14,879 from 42 companies across 875 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. Vije's costs compare to other anesthesiologys in Austin?
Dr. Vije's average Medicare payment per service is $32. 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. Vije) 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. The Transparency Score measures 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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