Medicare Enrolled

Dr. James Walker

Orthopedic Surgery · Austin, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
4700 SETON CENTER PKWY STE 200, Austin, TX 78759
5124391000
In practice since 2015 (10 years)
NPI: 1922481803 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. Walker 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. Walker? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Walker

Dr. James Walker is an orthopedic surgery in Austin, TX, with 10 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Walker performed 1,632 Medicare services across 606 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Walker received a total of $30,140 from 17 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 94 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopedic surgery. 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. Walker 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.

✓ 10 years in practice▲ Top 39% volume in TX$ $30,140 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,632
Medicare services
Top 39% in TX for orthopedic surgery
606
Unique beneficiaries
$29
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~163 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)888$1$5
Joint injection, major joint174$51$240
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)155$92$338
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)146$68$233
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views100$27$103
X-ray of knee, 4 or more views70$37$137
New patient office visit (45-59 min)44$106$510
New patient office visit (30-44 min)33$82$334
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views22$37$140
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 ↗
$30,140
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $5,023/year across 6 years
Top 17% in TX for orthopedic surgery
17
Companies
94
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$18,660 (61.9%)
Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$6,584 (21.8%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,897 (16.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,122
2023
$1,146
2022
$15,414
2021
$10,309
2019
$769
2018
$1,380

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Peerless Surgical Inc.
$7,200
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$6,584
Arthrex, Inc.
$5,650
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$4,387
Medinc of Texas
$1,616
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$1,528
SportsTek Medical, Inc
$769
Stryker Corporation
$714
Linvatec Corporation
$562
MEDACTA USA, INC.
$238
Core Surgical Group
$186
Miach Orthopaedics, Inc.
$170
Bioventus LLC
$157
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$123
Avanos Medical
$117
Anika Therapeutics, Inc.
$89
Vericel Corporation
$49
Top 3 companies account for 64.5% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
1788 · ACUFEX · ALPHAVENT · Affixus · Arthrex · BIOBRACE 23MM · DYNACORD · EXOGEN ULTRASOUND BONE HEALING SYSTEM · Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System · Integrity · Juggerknotless Soft Anchor · LINVATEC ARTHROSCOPY · MACI · MAKO · ON-Q* PUMP AND ACCESSORIES · PINK HIP KIT · PRIMARY SHOULDER · Q-FIX Shoulder · REUNION · REVERSE SHOULDER · RF20000 · SIMPLICITI · Shoulder System · Trauma Product Portfolio
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 →

The majority of payments (62%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in orthopedic surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.

Equivalent to $1,847 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a orthopedic surgery in Austin?
Compare orthopedic surgerys in the Austin area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Orthopedic Surgerys within 10 mi
127
Per 100K population
9.7
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital
ASCENSION SETON NORTHWEST
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/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. Walker is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 17%).

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. Walker experienced with steroid injection (triamcinolone)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Walker performed 888 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. Walker receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Walker received a total of $30,140 from 17 companies across 94 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. Walker's costs compare to other orthopedic surgerys in Austin?
Dr. Walker's average Medicare payment per service is $29. 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. Walker) 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 →
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.

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 →