Neurosurgery

Training path

1. College (bachelor’s degree) 4 years
2. Medical school (MD or DO) 4 years
3. Neurological surgery residency (including first clinical year) 7 years

Training after medical school: 7 years. From the start of college: about 15 years.

Usual minimum program lengths from ACGME program requirements. Some doctors take extra research years or a second fellowship.

Who they are

• MD (DOs make up the rest) 96%
• Women 12%
• Graduated 35 or more years ago 19%
• Offer telehealth 40%
• Accept Medicare’s approved amount 95%

Sex and credentials from NPPES. Graduation year, telehealth and Medicare assignment from Medicare Care Compare, which covers clinicians enrolled in Medicare.

What they do most for Medicare patients

• Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes 250,155
• Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 20-29 minutes 234,471
• New patient office or other outpatient visit, 45-59 minutes 154,799
• New patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-44 minutes 72,647
• Fusion of additional segment of spine 63,131
• Subsequent hospital care with moderate levelof medical decision making, if using time, at least 35 minutes 61,634
• Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 40-54 minutes 58,184
• Insertion of cage or mesh device to spine bone and disc space during spine fusion 56,899
• Initial hospital care with straightforward or low-level medical decision making, if using time, at least 55 minutes 51,908
• Initial hospital care with moderate level of medical decision making, if using time, at least 75 minutes 42,397
• New patient office or other outpatient visit, 60-74 minutes 41,717
• Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 10-19 minutes 40,540

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Services billed to traditional Medicare in 2023 (Physician and Other Practitioners data); drugs given in the office are left out.

What they prescribe most

• Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin) 14.8%
• Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen (Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen) 11.9%
• Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen (Endocet, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen, Percocet) 7.1%
• Methocarbamol 6.4%
• Oxycodone Hcl (Oxycontin, Roxicodone, Roxybond) 5.4%
• Cyclobenzaprine Hcl (Amrix) 5.0%
• Tizanidine Hcl (Zanaflex) 4.6%
• Methylprednisolone (Medrol) 4.6%
• Tramadol Hcl 3.8%
• Meloxicam 3.3%
• Pregabalin (Lyrica Cr, Lyrica) 2.8%
• Celecoxib (Elyxyb, Celebrex) 1.6%
• Levetiracetam (Keppra Xr, Roweepra, Spritam) 1.5%
• Baclofen (Lioresal Intrathecal, Fleqsuvy, Gablofen) 1.4%
• Carbidopa/Levodopa (Crexont, Duopa, Sinemet) 1.2%

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Share of this specialty’s Medicare Part D prescriptions in 2024, including refills. Select a drug to see which of these clinicians prescribe it most, and where.

Hospitals where the most work

• Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH 45 Neurosurgery at Cleveland Clinic
• New York-Presbyterian Hospital New York, NY 44 Neurosurgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital
• Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, MA 42 Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA 42 Neurosurgery at Stanford Health Care
• Memorial Hermann Hospital System Houston, TX 37 Neurosurgery at Memorial Hermann Hospital System
• UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA 36 Neurosurgery at UCSF Medical Center
• NYU Langone Hospitals New York, NY 36 Neurosurgery at NYU Langone Hospitals
• Duke University Hospital Durham, NC 34 Neurosurgery at Duke University Hospital
• Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester Rochester, MN 33 Neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester
• Missouri Baptist Medical Center Saint Louis, MO 31 Neurosurgery at Missouri Baptist Medical Center

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Clinicians who list the hospital in Medicare Care Compare. The number opens the list of who works there.

Schools they graduated from most

• Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons 123
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 108
• Indiana University School of Medicine 94
• Harvard Medical School 87
• Georgetown University School of Medicine 79
• Yale University School of Medicine 74
• Baylor College of Medicine 64
• New York University School of Medicine 64
• University of Michigan Medical School 59
• Stanford University School of Medicine 51

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From Medicare Care Compare (Medicare-enrolled clinicians only).