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Data Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data
Disclaimer: This site is an independent journalism project. Data analysis and editorial content are not affiliated with or endorsed by CMS or any government agency. All spending figures are based on publicly available Medicare payment records.
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Methodology•Download Data
  1. Home
  2. Specialties
  3. General Surgery vs Orthopedic Surgery

General Surgery vs Orthopedic Surgery

Medicare billing comparison between General Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery providers

General Surgery
Orthopedic Surgery
Total Medicare Payments
$8.0B
$21.4B
↓ 62.7% difference
Total Providers
189.3K
207.5K
↓ 8.8% difference
Avg Payment per Provider
$42.2K
$103.3K
↓ 59.1% difference
Markup Ratio
4.08x
4.68x
↓ 12.8% difference
Total Services
89.0M
431.2M
↓ 79.4% difference
Avg Payment per Service
$140.50
$147.02
↓ 4.4% difference

Key Insights

  • •Orthopedic Surgery accounts for $13.4B more in Medicare payments than General Surgery.
  • •Orthopedic Surgery providers earn $61.1K more per provider on average.
  • •Orthopedic Surgery has a higher markup ratio (4.68x vs 4.08x).

Top Procedures — General Surgery

99213
Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 20-29 minutes
$44.9M
99214
Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes
$41.8M
99232
Subsequent hospital care with moderate levelof medical decision making, if using time, at least 35 minutes
$37.9M
99204
New patient office or other outpatient visit, 45-59 minutes
$37.1M
99291
Critical care, first 30-74 minutes
$26.1M

Top Procedures — Orthopedic Surgery

27447
Replacement of knee joint, both sides of knee
$293.8M
99214
Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes
$245.6M
99213
Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 20-29 minutes
$239.1M
27130
Replacement of thigh bone and hip joint with prosthesis
$159.2M
20610
Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from large joint
$112.7M

Explore Individual Specialties

View General SurgeryView Orthopedic Surgery

Data Sources

  • • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • • Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data (2014-2023)
  • • CMS National Health Expenditure Data

Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.

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