NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician NPI 1578523809 MD
Verify on CMS → Christopher Kauffman, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician in Smyrna, Tennessee.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 1,825 in Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician, and covers specialty classification, practice address, and Medicare Part D prescribing data when reported. According to CMS, every field reflects the provider's official federal registration, see our methodology.
Federal data, no proprietary rating.
We show these CMS records as-is - no composite score, no star rating, no editorial opinion layered on top.
Prescribing volume
522
Medicare Part D claims · 223 beneficiaries · Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician avg: 380
Industry payments
$476.41
3 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
What the federal data shows
Christopher Kauffman, MD filed 522 Medicare Part D claims in 2024 as an Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician in Smyrna, Tennessee.
- 522
- Part D claims, 2024
- Likely
- board-certified (heuristic)
- ≥65th
- pct by Part D claim volume (lower-bound band)
Every figure on this page comes straight from federal CMS records (NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments) - no proprietary rating or editorial opinion is applied.
Federal trust snapshot
What official records show about Christopher Kauffman, MD
Federal records show an active NPI with Medicare Part D prescribing activity — verifiable registry data, not a proprietary rating.
- Verified
NPI registry status
Active listing in the CMS National Provider Identifier Registry (NPI 1578523809), first enumerated 03/23/2006.
Source: CMS NPPES
- Reported
Medicare Part D participation
Filed 522 Medicare Part D prescription claims in the 2023 CMS public use file — indicates active Medicare prescribing participation.
Source: CMS Part D Prescriber PUF
- Reported
Board certification signal
Heuristic suggests board-certified status based on ABMS-eligible specialty taxonomy plus active CMS participation signals — not a direct ABMS verification.
- Reported
Hospital affiliations
2 CMS Care Compare hospital affiliations on record — practice footprint from the Doctors and Clinicians file.
Source: CMS Care Compare
- Reported
Industry payment transparency
$476.41 in reported industry payments (3 transfers) in 2024 under the federal Sunshine Act — disclosed transfers of value, not a quality rating.
Source: CMS Open Payments
- Not in federal data
Individual sanction lookup
PlainDoctor does not publish per-provider disciplinary determinations. Confirm current license and any individual actions through the state medical board or FSMB verification service.
Source: State medical board / FSMB
This trust snapshot summarizes only what appears in federal CMS/NPPES public records. It is not a composite score, star rating, patient review, or clinical recommendation. PlainDoctor never fabricates reviews or AggregateRating schema.
CMS NPPES provider registry desk
NPI 1578523809 · Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician
NPI-10 · ENUM-LEGACY · TAX-NARROW · RX-LIGHT · BOOK-THIN · PHOTO-ENUM
- NPI-10 1578523809
- ENUM-LEGACY 2006
- TAX-NARROW 1,825
- RX-LIGHT 522
- BOOK-THIN 30 in Tennessee
- PHOTO-ENUM Jae Chon, M.D. · 2006
Christopher Kauffman, MD's Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber
Total Medicare Part D claims, 2024, across all CMS prescribers nationally
522 ≥ 65th percentile 65% of 1,416,883 prescribers are in lower value bands
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more prescribers. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
The percentile is a conservative 100-claim band: it counts only prescribers in lower claim-volume bands. Medicare Part D claim volume is activity context, not a quality measure or recommendation. See methodology § corpus placement.
Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File · 2024
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Christopher Kauffman, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + 2 hospital affiliations - signals consistent with board-certified status. For verified board certification, see CertificationMatters.org (the official ABMS public lookup).
What does the federal data show about Christopher Kauffman, MD?
Quality data not reportedPrimary specialty
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician
Medicare Part D claims
522 37% vs specialty avg
Specialty distribution in Tennessee
How Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician compares to other specialties among Tennessee providers
Board certification
Not published by CMS
CMS does not publish a per-provider board-certification field in NPPES. PlainDoctor does not have a reliable per-specialty certification rate to show for Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician. Verify directly:
How MIPS and board certification work
The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores providers 0–100 across four performance categories: Quality, Cost, Promoting Interoperability, and Improvement Activities, weighted under 42 CFR §414.1380. Reporting is voluntary for many small practices, so absence of a MIPS score is not a quality signal.
Board certification through an ABMS or AOA member board signals voluntary post-licensure examination plus continuous Maintenance of Certification cycles. Verify any individual provider's status through certificationmatters.org (ABMS) or osteopathic.org (AOA).
Practice Address
Provider Details
| NPI | 1578523809 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 03/23/2006 |
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Christopher Kauffman, MD bills Medicare from. Star ratings (1-5) are CMS Hospital Compare's "Hospital overall rating" - a composite of mortality, readmission, patient experience, safety, timely care, and efficient use of medical imaging measures. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Advanced Diagnostic Imaging PC
Smyrna, TN
Premier Orthopaedics And Sports Medicine PLC
Hendersonville, TN
Affiliations sourced from CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File; hospital ratings from CMS Hospital General Information dataset (cross-referenced by facility name + state).
Industry payments received (2024) - CMS Open Payments transparency data
The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act (part of the Affordable Care Act) requires drug and medical-device manufacturers + group purchasing organizations to publicly report payments and other transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals. The data below covers 2024 for Christopher Kauffman, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$476
Largest payer
Theragen, Inc.
Most common payment type
Food and Beverage
Industry payments are not necessarily indicators of bias, they include research funding, consulting fees for evidence-based work, royalties for inventions, food at conferences, and similar items. The disclosure exists for transparency. Read our methodology for how we interpret this data.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2024.
522
Total Claims
$16K
Total Drug Cost
223
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 625.833
- Total Day Supply
- 15,292
- Generic Drug Cost
- $5K
- Opioid Claims
- 92 (17.6% rate)
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 70.9 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.04
- Gender Split
- 65% female / 35% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 27, 65-74: 128, 75-84: N/A, 85+: N/A
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2024. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Christopher Kauffman, MD prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2024
- Meloxicam
Meloxicam
138 claims
- Gabapentin
Gabapentin
96 claims
- Diclofenac Sodium 47
Diclofenac Sodium
47 claims
- Oxycodone-Acetamin… 42
Oxycodone-Acetaminophen
42 claims
- Pregabalin 27
Pregabalin
27 claims
- Hydrocodone-Acetam… 26
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
26 claims
- Ibuprofen 25
Ibuprofen
25 claims
- Ondansetron Odt 18
Ondansetron Odt
18 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Meloxicam | 138 |
| Gabapentin | 96 |
| Diclofenac Sodium | 47 |
| Oxycodone-Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 42 |
| Pregabalin | 27 |
| Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 26 |
| Ibuprofen | 25 |
| Ondansetron Odt Ondansetron | 18 |
| Baclofen | 16 |
| Methylprednisolone | 16 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
More Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician in TN →
All providers in Tennessee →
Compare specialties →
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Overview
How Christopher Kauffman, MD fits within the Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician landscape nationally.
1,825
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Providers in US
51
States with Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician
380
Avg Claims per Provider
Christopher Kauffman, MD's 522 claims are above the specialty average of 380.
Nationwide Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician peers with similar MIPS or enrollment year
Two federal-record peer sets for Kauffman, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Same NPPES enumeration year (2006)
Same-specialty clinicians who entered the NPI registry in the same calendar year, outside this state.
Nearby Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Providers in Tennessee
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Tennessee, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Kauffman.
One of 30 Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician providers enrolled in Tennessee, 5 are shown here.
Dr. Lawrence Babat
MD
Nashville, TN
Dr. Paul Broadstone
M.D.
Chattanooga, TN
Dr. Daniel Burrus
MD
Nashville, TN
Dr. Francis Camillo
M.D.
Memphis, TN
Dr. Adam Caputo
MD
Chattanooga, TN
Compare Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Christopher Kauffman, MD's specialty? ▼
Christopher Kauffman, MD specializes in Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician and practices in Smyrna, Tennessee. Credentials: MD.
How much does Christopher Kauffman, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2024, Christopher Kauffman, MD wrote 522 Medicare Part D claims totaling $16K in drug costs for 223 beneficiaries.
Where is Christopher Kauffman, MD located? ▼
Christopher Kauffman, MD is located at 819 MEDICAL PARK, Smyrna, TN, 37167. Phone: (615) 761-9200.
What is Christopher Kauffman, MD's NPI number? ▼
Christopher Kauffman, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1578523809, issued on 03/23/2006.
Does Christopher Kauffman, MD prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Christopher Kauffman, MD had 92 opioid claims in 2024 with an opioid prescribing rate of 17.6%.
How many Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 1,825 Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician providers across 51 states in the US. The average Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician provider writes 380 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Christopher Kauffman, MD prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2024 Medicare Part D data, Christopher Kauffman, MD's most frequently prescribed drugs include Meloxicam, Gabapentin, Diclofenac Sodium. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Christopher Kauffman, MD accept Medicare? ▼
Christopher Kauffman, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 522 Part D claims and 223 Medicare beneficiaries in 2024. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Christopher Kauffman, MD's credentials? ▼
Christopher Kauffman, MD's NPI is 1578523809 with credentials MD. You can verify this through the NPPES NPI Registry, check state medical board records, and confirm board certification through the ABMS or AOA.
Data Sources
View source datasets and methodology notes
- Provider Directory
- CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), download.cms.gov/nppes, updated monthly. Contains NPI, specialty, credentials, and practice location.
- Specialty Classification
- NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy (nucc.org), the industry standard for classifying provider specialties in Medicare and Medicaid billing.
- Prescribing Data
- CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File (2024). Includes claims, drug costs, beneficiaries, and opioid prescribing rates.
- Limitations
- Provider data is self-reported to CMS. Prescribing data reflects Medicare Part D only and does not include commercial insurance, Medicaid, or cash prescriptions. Claims below 11 beneficiaries are suppressed by CMS for privacy.
See our complete data methodology for details on how we collect and process government data.
Data as of August 2026 (NPPES) / 2024 (Medicare Part D). Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Disclaimer: Data from CMS NPPES and Medicare Part D. PlainDoctor does not rate or rank providers. Provider information is self-reported and may not be current. Always verify information directly with the provider. About · Methodology
Every figure on PlainDoctor is rendered directly from the federal CMS NPPES registry, Medicare Part D, MIPS, and Open Payments records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.