Orthopedic Surgery

Training path

1. College (bachelor’s degree) 4 years
2. Medical school (MD or DO) 4 years
3. Orthopaedic surgery residency 5 years

Training after medical school: 5 years. From the start of college: about 13 years.

Most orthopaedic surgeons add a 1-year fellowship.

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) 90%
• Women 10%
• Graduated 35 or more years ago 21%
• Offer telehealth 12%
• 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, 20-29 minutes 2,699,538
• Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes 1,870,381
• Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from large joint 1,700,426
• X-ray of knee, 3 views 639,757
• New patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-44 minutes 613,905
• New patient office or other outpatient visit, 45-59 minutes 605,311
• X-ray of shoulder, minimum of 2 views 583,412
• X-ray of hip, 2-3 views 531,089
• X-ray of knee, 4 or more views 522,185
• Therapy procedure using exercise to develop strength, endurance, range of motion, and flexibility, each 15 minutes 294,267
• Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 10-19 minutes 279,222
• X-ray of knee, 1-2 views 267,984

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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

• Meloxicam 16.8%
• Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen (Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen) 10.4%
• Tramadol Hcl 7.2%
• Celecoxib (Elyxyb, Celebrex) 7.0%
• Oxycodone Hcl (Oxycontin, Roxicodone, Roxybond) 6.8%
• Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen (Endocet, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen, Percocet) 5.9%
• Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin) 5.0%
• Amoxicillin 4.9%
• Diclofenac Sodium (Pennsaid) 4.7%
• Methylprednisolone (Medrol) 4.5%
• Cephalexin 2.7%
• Ibuprofen (Caldolor, Ibu) 2.0%
• Ondansetron Hcl 1.8%
• Cyclobenzaprine Hcl (Amrix) 1.6%
• Ondansetron 1.5%

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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

• St Joseph's University Medical Center Inc Paterson, NJ 106 Orthopedic Surgery at St Joseph's University Medical Center Inc
• Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester Rochester, MN 96 Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester
• Carolinas Medical Center/behav Health Charlotte, NC 94 Orthopedic Surgery at Carolinas Medical Center/behav Health
• Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA 88 Orthopedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital
• Northside Hospital Atlanta, GA 86 Orthopedic Surgery at Northside Hospital
• Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, MA 84 Orthopedic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital
• NYU Langone Hospitals New York, NY 82 Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone Hospitals
• Virginia Hospital Center Arlington, VA 79 Orthopedic Surgery at Virginia Hospital Center
• Hospital for Special Surgery New York, NY 78 Orthopedic Surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery
• Beaumont Hospital, Troy Troy, MI 78 Orthopedic Surgery at Beaumont Hospital, Troy

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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

• Georgetown University School of Medicine 322
• Wayne State University School of Medicine 223
• Indiana University School of Medicine 220
• Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University 210
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 187
• Tulane University School of Medicine 186
• Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons 182
• Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine 181
• Medical College of Wisconsin 178
• University of Michigan Medical School 170

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