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2026 NPPES data Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician NPI 1245341601 MD
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Mark Nelson, MD

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician in La Jolla, California.

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
277
Medicare Part D claims · 68 beneficiaries · Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician avg: 380
MIPS score
68.6/100
▼ 15 pts below national avg 83.5 · Mid-tier
Industry payments
$21.06
1 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Verify NPI on CMS Methodology
Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

What the federal data shows

Mark Nelson, MD reported a CMS MIPS final score of 68.6/100 - below the 83.5 national average - and filed 277 Medicare Part D claims in 2024.

68.6/100
MIPS score · -15 vs avg
277
Part D claims, 2024
Likely
board-certified (heuristic)
≥8th
pct among measured MIPS (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 Mark Nelson, MD

Federal records show an active NPI with both Medicare prescribing volume and a measured CMS quality score — objective registry data, not patient reviews.

  • Verified

    NPI registry status

    Active listing in the CMS National Provider Identifier Registry (NPI 1245341601), first enumerated 08/31/2006.

    Source: CMS NPPES

  • Reported

    Medicare Part D participation

    Filed 277 Medicare Part D prescription claims in the 2023 CMS public use file — indicates active Medicare prescribing participation.

    Source: CMS Part D Prescriber PUF

  • Reported

    CMS quality reporting (MIPS)

    Reported a CMS MIPS final score of 68.6/100 in the Quality Payment Program — a federal quality measure, not a patient review.

    Source: CMS Quality Payment Program

  • 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.

    Source: NUCC taxonomy + CMS participation heuristic

  • Reported

    Industry payment transparency

    $21.06 in reported industry payments (1 transfers) in 2024 under the federal Sunshine Act — disclosed transfers of value, not a quality rating.

    Source: CMS Open Payments

  • State context

    State board disciplinary context

    California statewide board action statistics are published annually — these figures describe aggregate state activity, not Mark Nelson, MD's individual license status. Verify directly with the state medical board.

    Source: MBC annual report 2023

  • 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 1245341601 · Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician

NPI-10 · ENUM-LEGACY · TAX-NARROW · MIPS-LOW · RX-LIGHT · BOOK-THIN · PHOTO-FINISH

  • NPI-10 1245341601
  • ENUM-LEGACY 2006
  • TAX-NARROW 1,825
  • MIPS-LOW 68.6/100
  • RX-LIGHT 277
  • BOOK-THIN 252 in California
  • PHOTO-FINISH Peter D'Amore, M.D. · ±0.0

MIPS final-score neighbourhood

Same-specialty nationwide peers by CMS final score, not geographic proximity

MIPS pts

What this shows Nearest measured MIPS peers for this NUCC specialty (2023 performance year).

Source CMS Quality Payment Program (MIPS) As of 2023

Mark Nelson, MD's MIPS score vs every measured U.S. clinician

CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023, the federal quality measure. Clinicians whose score CMS assigned without scoring any category are excluded.

69 ≥ 8th percentile 8% of 454,083 measured providers are in lower value bands

0–10: 8,684 measured providers (2%). Below this entry. 10–20: 3,008 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 20–30: 3,069 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 30–40: 2,746 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 40–50: 2,928 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,882 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 60–70: 13,906 measured providers (3%). This entry sits in this band. 70–80: 94,570 measured providers (21%). Above this entry. 80–90: 129,887 measured providers (29%). Above this entry. 90+: 189,403 measured providers (42%). Above this entry. This provider 0 100 every measured MIPS clinician, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more measured providers. 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 whole-score-point band: it counts only measured clinicians in lower score bands. A CMS MIPS metric is not a recommendation or a clinical-quality rating by PlainDoctor. See methodology § corpus placement.

Source CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) · 2023

Where Mark Nelson, MD sits

This provider among orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician peers

Across the 562 orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Mark Nelson, MD writes more Part D claims than 52% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 21% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.

Lower volume · High qualityHigh volume · High qualityLower volume · Lower qualityHigh volume · Lower quality0255075100024.448.873.297.7Part D claim volume, percentile in specialtyMIPS quality, percentilePoint, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 8 · MIPS quality, percentile: 30Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 88 · MIPS quality, percentile: 65Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 48 · MIPS quality, percentile: 60Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 42 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 78 · MIPS quality, percentile: 32Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 75 · MIPS quality, percentile: 93Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 95 · MIPS quality, percentile: 15Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 73 · MIPS quality, percentile: 25Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 83 · MIPS quality, percentile: 62Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 18 · MIPS quality, percentile: 45Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 87 · MIPS quality, percentile: 13Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 30 · MIPS quality, percentile: 33Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 38 · MIPS quality, percentile: 10Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 68 · MIPS quality, percentile: 85Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 93 · MIPS quality, percentile: 80Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 33 · MIPS quality, percentile: 93Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 0 · MIPS quality, percentile: 67Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 55 · MIPS quality, percentile: 8Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 67 · MIPS quality, percentile: 88Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 72 · MIPS quality, percentile: 77Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 28 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 90 · MIPS quality, percentile: 83Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 45 · MIPS quality, percentile: 42Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 3 · MIPS quality, percentile: 48Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 27 · MIPS quality, percentile: 17Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 100 · MIPS quality, percentile: 27Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 8 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 80 · MIPS quality, percentile: 75Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 60 · MIPS quality, percentile: 78Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 15 · MIPS quality, percentile: 22Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 23 · MIPS quality, percentile: 12Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 98 · MIPS quality, percentile: 72Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 92 · MIPS quality, percentile: 28Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 47 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 15 · MIPS quality, percentile: 70Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 35 · MIPS quality, percentile: 57Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 32 · MIPS quality, percentile: 47Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 57 · MIPS quality, percentile: 55Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 77 · MIPS quality, percentile: 50Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 37 · MIPS quality, percentile: 58Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 20 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 58 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 70 · MIPS quality, percentile: 93Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 13 · MIPS quality, percentile: 22Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 85 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 53 · MIPS quality, percentile: 80Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 40 · MIPS quality, percentile: 52Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 5 · MIPS quality, percentile: 63Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 63 · MIPS quality, percentile: 87Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 2 · MIPS quality, percentile: 53Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 43 · MIPS quality, percentile: 38Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 82 · MIPS quality, percentile: 20Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 25 · MIPS quality, percentile: 42Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 7 · MIPS quality, percentile: 92Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 22 · MIPS quality, percentile: 40Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 12 · MIPS quality, percentile: 35Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 65 · MIPS quality, percentile: 37Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 62 · MIPS quality, percentile: 93Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 52 · MIPS quality, percentile: 93Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 97 · MIPS quality, percentile: 72Mark Nelson, MD, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 52 · MIPS quality, percentile: 21
Part D claim volume vs MIPS quality, by specialty percentile

Each dot is one orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Mark Nelson, MD. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.

✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)

Mark Nelson, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting - 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 Mark Nelson, MD?

Below national average

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 08/31/2006

NPI 1245341601

Primary specialty

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician

Niche

1,825 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

277 27% vs specialty avg

2024 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 380

MIPS final score

68.6/100 14.9 pts vs avg

Mid-tier band

vs 83.5 national avg

Specialty distribution in California

How Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician compares to other specialties among California providers

California providers
Behavior Technician17.9%Marriage & Family Therapist5.4%Student in an Organized Heal…5.1%Mental Health Counselor3.7%Pharmacist3.4%Clinical Social Worker3.1%Orthopaedic Surgery of the S…0%
Largest specialties in California (% of in-state providers)

Medicare quality performance, MIPS

Mark Nelson, MD's 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician national average

Below national average
MIPS Final Score
68.6/100
vs 83.5 national avg · 2023 performance year
0%100%National avg84%68.6%
MIPS final score (Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician) - 68.6/100 vs national avg 83.5
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

9834 GENESEE AVENUE
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 777-7917

Provider Details

NPI 1245341601
Specialty Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician
Credentials MD
Gender Male
NPI Issued 08/31/2006

CMS Quality Score (MIPS)

Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.

68.6112
Final Score
Measured-score avg: 83.5
49.6194
Quality
58.2217
Cost

Reporting: Group practice

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 Mark Nelson, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$21

Largest payer

Trilliant Surgical LLC.

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.

License & disciplinary context - California MBC 2023 annual report

Aggregate state board data only, NOT a determination of any individual provider's status. The figures below describe statewide disciplinary activity across all ~150K California medical licensees in 2023 - they are NOT specific to Mark Nelson, MD. To verify Mark Nelson, MD's current license status, search the MBC public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.

576
Total board actions, California 2023
Across 556 cases
3.84
Actions per 1,000 licensees
California statewide rate
probation
Most common action type
186 cases

MBC publishes annual disciplinary statistics as part of public-record reporting under each state's Administrative Procedure Act. See the full breakdown by action type and year on the California disciplinary trends page. Cross-checked against FSMB U.S. Medical Regulatory Trends.

Medicare Part D Prescribing Data

CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2024.

277
Total Claims
$4K
Total Drug Cost
68
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
324.1
Total Day Supply
8,562
Generic Drug Cost
$4K
Opioid Claims
21 (7.6% rate)

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
73.4 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
0.97
Gender Split
47% female / 53% male

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2024. Based on Medicare Part D data only.

What Mark Nelson, MD prescribes most

Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2024

claims
Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File As of 2024
Drug Claims
Gabapentin
 96
Celecoxib
 22
Amlodipine Besylate
 13
Atorvastatin Calcium
 13
Clopidogrel
Clopidogrel Bisulfate
13
Finasteride
 13
Lisinopril
 13
Pantoprazole Sodium
 13
Tamsulosin Hcl
 13
Meloxicam
 11

* 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 CA → All providers in California → Compare specialties →

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Overview

How Mark Nelson, 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

Mark Nelson, MD's 277 claims are below 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 Nelson, both outside California so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar MIPS final score

Nearest same-specialty clinicians by CMS MIPS final score (68.6 here).

Peter D'Amore 68.6 FL Neil Schechter 68.6 FL Phillip Kravetz 67.9 AL Kevin McGuire 69.4 NH

Same NPPES enumeration year (2006)

Same-specialty clinicians who entered the NPI registry in the same calendar year, outside this state.

Christopher Heck Hoover, AL Dion Arthur Hamlet, NC Kenneth Leung Seattle, WA Brad Prybis Roswell, GA

Nearby Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Providers in California

Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in California, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Nelson.

One of 252 Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician providers enrolled in California, 5 are shown here.

Dr. Gaurav Abbi
MD
Burlingame, CA
Dr. Jean-Jacques Abitbol
MD
San Diego, CA
Dr. Jonathan Acosta
MD
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Dr. Robert Ahearn
MD
Huntington Beach, CA
Dr. Todd Alamin
MD
Stanford, CA

Compare Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mark Nelson, MD's specialty? ▼
Mark Nelson, MD specializes in Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician and practices in La Jolla, California. Credentials: MD.
How much does Mark Nelson, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2024, Mark Nelson, MD wrote 277 Medicare Part D claims totaling $4K in drug costs for 68 beneficiaries.
What is Mark Nelson, MD's Medicare quality score? ▼
Mark Nelson, MD has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 68.6/100 (Quality: 49.6, Cost: 58.2). The average MIPS Final Score across the 454,083 clinicians with at least one published category score is 83.5; clinicians whose score CMS assigned without scoring any category are excluded from that average. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Mark Nelson, MD located? ▼
Mark Nelson, MD is located at 9834 GENESEE AVENUE, La Jolla, CA, 92037. Phone: (858) 777-7917.
What is Mark Nelson, MD's NPI number? ▼
Mark Nelson, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1245341601, issued on 08/31/2006.
Does Mark Nelson, MD prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Mark Nelson, MD had 21 opioid claims in 2024 with an opioid prescribing rate of 7.6%.
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 Mark Nelson, MD prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2024 Medicare Part D data, Mark Nelson, MD's most frequently prescribed drugs include Gabapentin, Celecoxib, Amlodipine Besylate. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Mark Nelson, MD accept Medicare? ▼
Mark Nelson, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 277 Part D claims and 68 Medicare beneficiaries in 2024. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Mark Nelson, MD's credentials? ▼
Mark Nelson, MD's NPI is 1245341601 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.
Quality Performance
CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) - 2023 performance year.
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

Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

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.