https://doctransparency.com/doctor/tx/flower-mound/stephen-tolhurst-1023234655
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Stephen Tolhurst, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · Flower Mound, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
4401 LONG PRAIRIE RD STE 500, Flower Mound, TX 75028
9729568181
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1023234655 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. Tolhurst 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. Tolhurst? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Tolhurst

Dr. Stephen Tolhurst is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Flower Mound, TX, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Tolhurst performed 1,839 Medicare services across 1,417 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Tolhurst received a total of $1,051,198 from 33 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 283 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 for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Tolhurst 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.

✓ 18 years in practice▲ Top 5% volume in TX$ $1,051,198 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,839
Medicare services
Top 5% in TX for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
1,417
Unique beneficiaries
$193
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~102 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
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views323$28$124
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)295$64$139
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)164$92$206
New patient office visit (45-59 min)162$118$320
Insertion of cage or mesh device to spine bone and disc space during spine fusion129$189$826
X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views118$28$119
Fusion of additional segment of spine95$273$1,228
Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid drug into sacral spine nerve root using imaging guidance, single level87$108$321
Fusion of spine in lower back68$1,123$4,880
Placement of stabilizing device to front, 2-3 spine bone segments55$535$2,311
Fusion of lower spine bone through abdomen with partial removal of disc53$550$4,710
Partial removal of spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, each additional segment49$157$666
Placement of stabilizing device to back, 3-6 spine bone segments42$559$2,449
Aspiration of bone marrow for spine bone graft38$53$212
Exploration of spine fusion34$315$2,457
Fusion of spine bones through front of body with partial removal of disc, each additional disc28$206$1,055
Placement of stabilizing device to back of 1 spine bone in neck27$567$2,392
Partial removal of spine bone with release of lower spinal cord and/or nerves, 1 segment21$539$3,698
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)19$43$84
Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid drug into sacral spine nerve root using imaging guidance, each additional level18$37$161
Fusion of upper spine bone with removal of disc and release of spinal cord or nerve, 1 disc14$1,237$5,330
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.
22.9% high complexity
5.7% medium
71.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$1,051,198
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $150,171/year across 7 years
Top 2% in TX for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
33
Companies
283
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$517,301 (49.2%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$460,281 (43.8%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$69,284 (6.6%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$4,332 (0.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$202,852
2023
$149,291
2022
$147,518
2021
$54,502
2020
$103,088
2019
$202,138
2018
$191,809

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Innovasis Inc
$528,963
Curiteva, Inc.
$248,072
MEDACTA USA, INC.
$95,160
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$58,825
Clariance, Inc.
$36,093
Medacta USA, Inc.
$28,021
Choice Spine, LLC
$17,435
Silony Medical Corp.
$9,731
Clariance SAS
$8,662
K2M, Inc.
$6,358
Stryker Corporation
$5,807
Bacterin International Inc
$2,500
Integrity Implants Inc.
$2,043
OsteoCentric Technologies, Inc.
$1,460
NuVasive, Inc.
$358
DeGen Medical, Inc.
$261
Globus Medical, Inc.
$181
Carlsmed, Inc.
$163
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$155
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$144
4WEB, INC.
$136
Osseus Fusion Systems, LLC
$131
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$126
Spinevision SAS
$95
Nanovis LLC
$80
Medtronic, Inc.
$69
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$43
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$30
DJO, LLC
$27
Lilly USA, LLC
$21
SI-BONE, Inc.
$19
Horizon Pharma plc
$18
PARADIGM SPINE, LLC
$10
Top 3 companies account for 83.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACP · ASCENDANT · Ascendant · BUTTRESS PLATE · BUTTRESSPLATE · Battalion PLIF - PS · Biologics · Blackhawk · CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM · CASCADIA LATERAL 3D · CAYMAN · CAYMAN PLATE SYSTEM · CMF SPINALOGIC · EBI Bone Healing System · Erisma-LP · FORTEO · General K2M Product Discussion · INTELLIS · IVS - IVAS · IdentiTi · Idys-ALIF · Idys-LLIF 3DTi · Invictus MIS · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · LIF · LLIF · LLIF PLATE · LXHA · LessRay · MECTALIF · MIDAS REX · MUST · MUST MINI Set Screw · MYSPINE · NIAGARA LATERAL ACCESS SYSTEM · NONE · OsteoCentric 4.0 x 130mm LOCKING BONE SCREW FASTENER ST · Other - Miscellaneous · PCM · PISI · PRODIGY PEDICLE SCREW SYSTEM · PSX · Quadra · Quadra C Femoral Stems · RAVINE · SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM · STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM · TRITANIUM · VIMOVO · VITOSS · Verticale WINX · ViviGen · XLIF · aprevo · coflex
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 (49%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in TX.

Equivalent to $57,161 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Flower Mound?
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Geographic Context

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physicians within 10 mi
53
Per 100K population
5.6
County median income
$108,185
Nearest hospital
TEXAS HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL FLOWER MOUND
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. Tolhurst is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in TX), and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 2%), with 18 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. Tolhurst experienced with x-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Tolhurst performed 323 x-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views 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. Tolhurst receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Tolhurst received a total of $1,051,198 from 33 companies across 283 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. Tolhurst's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in Flower Mound?
Dr. Tolhurst's average Medicare payment per service is $193. 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. Tolhurst) 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 →