R. Craig Saunders, M.D.
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician · Sparta, TN
R. Craig Saunders, M.D. is an orthopaedic surgery physician with a practice address in Sparta, Tennessee, and NPI 1518994441, issued on Jun 27, 2006. Check the license (Tennessee MD49189, as entered in NPPES) on the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners; the Medicare figures below come from public CMS files.
- Name
- R. Craig Saunders
- Credential
- M.D.
- Primary taxonomy
- Orthopaedic Surgery Physician 207X00000X
- License numbers
- MD49189 TN
J2779 TX
Self-reported in NPPES; status is on the state search - Practice location
- 423 Sewell Dr, Sparta, TN 38583
- Phone
- (931) 738-9333
- Enumerated
- Jun 27, 2006
- Record last updated
- Dec 22, 2014 (not updated in 12 years: call before relying on the address or phone)
- Fax
- (931) 738-9340
- Medicare enrollment
- Enrolled (PECOS I20140225000303); accepts Medicare assignment
- Medical or professional school
- Northeastern Ohio University College Of Medicine, 1984
- Entity
- Type 1 · individual
8 nearest orthopaedic surgery physician records → All 467 in Tennessee → Look up another NPI →
Verify R. Craig Saunders in five checks
- 1IdentityNPI record in CMS NPPESNPI lookupConfirmed in NPPES
- 2LicenseActive license and public ordersTennessee Board of Medical Examiners
Search for license MD49189Check the board - 3Other statesLicenses and actions elsewhereDocInfo (FSMB)Not checked
- 4ExclusionsMedicare and Medicaid bansHHS-OIG exclusion listNot checked
- 5CertificationBoard certificationABMS AOA NCCPA AANPNot checked
21% fewer Medicare Part D claims than the average orthopaedic surgery physician in 2024
274 Medicare Part D claims for 102 beneficiaries, against an average of 346 among the 16,516 providers of this specialty who prescribed in Part D. Brand-name drugs were 0% of claims. 81 claims were for opioids.
Most prescribed
- Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim41 claims
- Lorazepam40 claims
- Mupirocin40 claims
- Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen31 claims
- Oxycodone Hcl24 claims
- Gabapentin19 claims
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug, 2024 (data.cms.gov). Part D covers prescriptions for Medicare patients only; drugs with fewer than 11 claims are not published.
Industry payments in 2024: $463.11
5 payments; by number, the most common kind was food and beverage; the largest payer was Nevro Corp. The 15,003 providers of this specialty with any payment received $23,022.89 on average. Payments are reported by manufacturers, not by the provider, and are not a sign of wrongdoing.
Source: CMS Open Payments, program year 2024 (openpaymentsdata.cms.gov); average among providers of this specialty with at least one payment.
Bills Medicare through one group practice
- Amg-Livingston LLCLivingston, TN
Source: CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File (the group practices a clinician bills Medicare through) (data.cms.gov).
R. Craig Saunders among 467 orthopaedic surgery physician records in Tennessee
R. Craig Saunders, M.D. is one of 467 orthopaedic surgery physician records with a practice address in Tennessee. 77% of them appear in a Medicare file (Part D prescribing, MIPS, Open Payments or Medicare group billing); this one does. Its NPI, issued in 2006, is newer than 23% of them.
- NPI issued2006 · 23% of these records are older, 42% newer
- In a Medicare fileYes · 77% of these records are
- In the CMS Doctors and Clinicians fileYes · 66% of these records are
- Graduated1984 · median 2003 among the 306 with a school on file
- Record last updated2014 · 47% of these records were not updated in five years or more
Source: CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026, every record with primary taxonomy 207X00000X and a Tennessee practice address; Medicare files: CMS Part D Prescribers 2024, MIPS 2023, Open Payments 2024, Doctors and Clinicians (data.cms.gov).
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician providers in Tennessee
There are 467 orthopaedic surgery physician records in Tennessee.
All 467 in Tennessee → Every provider in Sparta → Orthopaedic Surgery Physician nationwide →
The 8 orthopaedic surgery physician records with the nearest ZIP codes
- Rodger Zwemer, MDLivingston, TN 385701588637615
- James Reuter, M.D.Jamestown, TN 385561528016151
- Darren Barton, DOCrossville, TN 385551992084602
- Tyler Gunderson, M.D.Crossville, TN 385551477765014
- Susan Pick, MDCrossville, TN 385551568572675
- Jon Simpson, MDCrossville, TN 385551295815850
- Sam BarnesCookeville, TN 385011881936292
- Philip Elizondo, M.D.Cookeville, TN 385011407887870
Common questions
What is R. Craig Saunders, M.D.'s NPI number?
R. Craig Saunders, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1518994441, issued on Jun 27, 2006. An NPI identifies a provider in billing; it is not a license.
Where is R. Craig Saunders, M.D. located?
The NPPES record lists a practice address at 423 Sewell Dr, Sparta, TN, 38583. Phone: (931) 738-9333. Providers update this record themselves, so call before visiting.
How can I verify R. Craig Saunders, M.D.'s license?
NPPES lists Tennessee license number MD49189, as entered by the provider. Search the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners at https://www.tn.gov/health/licensure/me.html. The NPPES record confirms identity only; the state search shows license status, expiration and public orders.
How much does R. Craig Saunders, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2024, R. Craig Saunders, M.D. had 274 Medicare Part D claims for 102 beneficiaries; the average among orthopaedic surgery physician prescribers was 346. Part D covers Medicare prescriptions only.
Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), file of Aug 9, 2026 (NPPES files on CMS.gov); NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy. Medicare files from data.cms.gov. An NPI identifies who bills; it is not a license.
Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of Aug 9, 2026.