Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Richard Wupperman, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · Austin, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
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 of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Wupperman performed 1,123 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Wupperman received a total of $669,973 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 178 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. 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. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 19 years of NPI registration
▲ Top 18% volume in TX
$669,973 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary — 2023
Medicare Utilization ↗1,123
Medicare services
Top 18% in TX for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$184
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
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. |
382 | $96 | $206 |
| X-ray of entire middle and lower spine, 2-3 views An X-ray imaging test that captures 2 to 3 views of the entire middle and lower spine to visualize the bones and structures in these areas. |
165 | $56 | $191 |
| Spinal fusion of additional segment A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column. |
97 | $301 | $1,228 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views An X-ray imaging test that captures 2 to 3 views of the lower back and sacral spine to visualize the bones and joints in this area. |
84 | $30 | $124 |
| 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. |
78 | $130 | $320 |
| 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. |
68 | $69 | $139 |
| Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space. |
54 | $193 | $826 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 28 | $1,201 | $4,880 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back. |
25 | $587 | $2,395 |
| Anterior lumbar interbody fusion with partial disc removal A surgical procedure to fuse the lower spine bones by accessing the area through the abdomen and partially removing a spinal disc. |
22 | $579 | $4,710 |
| 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. |
22 | $516 | $3,353 |
| Spinal fusion exploration A surgical procedure to examine the site of a previous spinal fusion. The surgeon inspects the area to assess the status of the fusion and surrounding structures. |
21 | $332 | $2,457 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment. |
16 | $162 | $666 |
| Anterior spinal fusion with partial disc removal, each additional disc This procedure involves fusing spine bones together through an incision in the front of the body, with partial removal of the disc, for each additional disc treated. |
13 | $236 | $1,055 |
| Insertion of instrumentation to pelvic bones A surgical procedure involving the placement of hardware or devices into the pelvic bones. |
13 | $277 | $1,122 |
| Lower spine bone segment removal A surgical procedure to cut into or remove a segment of bone from the lower spine. |
12 | $648 | $4,484 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views An X-ray imaging test of the upper spine using two to three different angles to visualize the bones and structures. |
12 | $30 | $119 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 7-12 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the back involving 7 to 12 spine bone segments. |
11 | $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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.
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
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
21
Companies
178
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.
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)
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$159,807
Highridge Medical LLC
$3,429
SI-BONE, INC.
$539
Medtronic, Inc.
$355
Abbott Laboratories
$143
Globus Medical, Inc.
$106
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$30
Wenzel Spine, Inc.
$23
Top 3 companies account for 99.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
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 all-time 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? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Geographic Context
Orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in nearby ZIP areas
16
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
ASCENSION SETON MEDICAL CENTER AUSTIN
0.0 mi
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | NPPES snapshot; verify current record |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | PECOS snapshot |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not included | 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. Wupperman is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in TX), with 19 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. 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. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Wupperman receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Wupperman received a total of $669,973 from 21 companies across 178 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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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