Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Richard Wupperman, MD

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · Austin, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
3000 N INTERSTATE 35 STE 708, Austin, TX 78705
5123477463
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1760539647 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. Wupperman 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. Wupperman

Dr. Richard Wupperman is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Austin, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Wupperman performed 1,123 Medicare services across 790 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Wupperman received a total of $669,973 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 178 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician. The majority of payments are classified as financial or ownership interests (royalties, licensing fees, or investment interests). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Wupperman 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 18% volume in TX$ $669,973 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,123
Medicare services
Top 18% in TX for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
790
Unique beneficiaries
$184
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~59 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)382$96$206
X-ray of entire middle and lower spine, 2-3 views165$56$191
Fusion of additional segment of spine97$301$1,228
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views84$30$124
New patient office visit (45-59 min)78$130$320
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)68$69$139
Insertion of cage or mesh device to spine bone and disc space during spine fusion54$193$826
Fusion of spine in lower back28$1,201$4,880
Placement of stabilizing device to back, 3-6 spine bone segments25$587$2,395
Fusion of lower spine bone through abdomen with partial removal of disc22$579$4,710
Partial removal of spine bone with release of lower spinal cord and/or nerves, 1 segment22$516$3,353
Exploration of spine fusion21$332$2,457
Partial removal of spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, each additional segment16$162$666
Fusion of spine bones through front of body with partial removal of disc, each additional disc13$236$1,055
Insertion of instrumentation to pelvic bones13$277$1,122
Incision or removal of lower spine bone segment12$648$4,484
X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views12$30$119
Placement of stabilizing device to back, 7-12 spine bone segments11$628$2,542
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.
20.9% high complexity
0.0% medium
79.1% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$669,973
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $95,710/year across 7 years
Top 9% in TX for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
21
Companies
178
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.

Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$651,309 (97.2%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$14,846 (2.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$3,818 (0.6%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$164,432
2023
$157,832
2022
$140,671
2021
$110,302
2020
$64,537
2019
$18,006
2018
$14,193

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$644,304
ZIMVIE INC.
$16,591
Highridge Medical LLC
$3,429
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$1,832
SI-BONE, INC.
$992
Medtronic, Inc.
$693
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$529
Stryker Corporation
$449
NuVasive, Inc.
$293
SI-BONE, Inc.
$222
Abbott Laboratories
$196
Globus Medical, Inc.
$129
ulrich medical USA, Inc.
$75
Carlsmed, Inc.
$62
Wenzel Spine, Inc.
$34
Intrinsic Therapeutics
$31
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$30
Life Spine, Inc.
$28
Centinel Spine, LLC
$26
Olympus America Inc.
$20
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 99.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ALEUTIAN LATERAL · ALIF Instruments (Universal) · ANCHOR C · Arsenal · BARRICAID ACD (ANNULAR CLOSURE DEVICE) · Battalion TLIF - PC · Biomet SpinalPak · CAPRI · CAPRI CORPECTOMY CAGE SYSTEM · CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM · CATALYFT PL EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM · CAVUX Cervical Cage · CD HORIZON · CHESAPEAKE · ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System · IFUSE IMPLANT · INVICTUS OPEN · IVS - VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION PRODUCTS · IdentiTi · Invictus MIS · Invictus OPEN · KODIAK · KODIAK MIS · LIF · LIGASURE · MESA · MESA SMALL STATURE SPINAL SYSTEM · MazorX - Renaissance · Medical Devices · Monument · Multiple Products · N/A · NAVIGUS · NexGen · O-ARM-Spine · Other - Miscellaneous · PROCLAIM · PRODISC L · ProLift · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Prodigy Family of SCS IPGs · Pulse · SafeOp · Spinal Pak 2 · TM NextGen · TRELLOSS-C SA · TRITANIUM · TrellOss · TrellOss-C SA · UNID_PASS · UNiD · VariLift · VarilIft · Walter · XIA · XLIF · aprevo · iFuse Implant
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 →

Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type. Total industry engagement is in the top 9% for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in TX.

Equivalent to $59,659 per 100 Medicare services performed
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Geographic Context

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physicians within 10 mi
16
Per 100K population
1.2
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital
ASCENSION SETON MEDICAL CENTER AUSTIN
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. Wupperman is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in TX), and high industry engagement (mixed engagement, top 9%), 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. Wupperman experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Wupperman performed 382 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. Wupperman receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Wupperman received a total of $669,973 from 21 companies across 178 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. Wupperman's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in Austin?
Dr. Wupperman's average Medicare payment per service is $184. 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. Wupperman) 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 →