NPPES file of Aug 9, 2026

Richard Michael Thunder, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · La Jolla, CA

Richard Michael Thunder, M.D. is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician with a practice address in La Jolla, California, and NPI 1780602276, issued on Jul 17, 2006. Check the license (California A72768, as entered in NPPES) on the Medical Board of California; the Medicare figures below come from public CMS files.

Record from CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026 · Medicare files 2024 · method · Verify with CMS →

NPPES recordNPPES file of Aug 9, 2026
1780602276
Name
Richard Michael Thunder
Credential
M.D.
Primary taxonomy
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician 207XS0117X
License number
A72768 CA
Self-reported in NPPES; status is on the state search
Practice location
9850 Genesee Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone
(858) 535-1075
Enumerated
Jul 17, 2006
Record last updated
Apr 9, 2015 (not updated in 11 years: call before relying on the address or phone)
Fax
(858) 453-9810
Medicare enrollment
Enrolled (PECOS I20050107000896); may accept Medicare assignment
Medical or professional school
Stanford University School Of Medicine, 1999
Telehealth
Offers telehealth (CMS)
Entity
Type 1 · individual
Public record from CMS NPPES (open it on the CMS NPI Registry). Enrollment, assignment, school and telehealth: CMS Doctors and Clinicians file, Aug 2026. A record is not a license: verify it with the state board.
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8 nearest orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician records → All 314 in California → Look up another NPI →

Also registered at 9850 Genesee Avenue

A shared address usually means a shared clinic or building; it does not show who employs whom.

  1. Richard Brown, M.D.Orthopaedic Hand Surgery Physician1477571958
  2. David Burns, NPAcute Care Nurse Practitioner1629170048
  3. Carla McElroy, M.D.General Practice Physician1548241599
  4. Reza Sadrian, MDPlastic Surgery Physician1003932740
  5. Marialyn Sardo, M.D.Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Physician1679724462
  6. Stephen Shoemaker, M.D.Orthopaedic Surgery Physician1083632558

Verify Richard Michael Thunder in five checks

  1. 1IdentityNPI record in CMS NPPESNPI lookupConfirmed in NPPES
  2. 2LicenseActive license and public ordersMedical Board of California
    Search for license A72768    Check the board
  3. 3Other statesLicenses and actions elsewhereDocInfo (FSMB)Not checked
  4. 4ExclusionsMedicare and Medicaid bansHHS-OIG exclusion listNot checked
  5. 5CertificationBoard certificationABMS AOA NCCPA AANPNot checked
Open the California license search

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35% more Medicare Part D claims than the average orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in 2024

516 Medicare Part D claims for 242 beneficiaries, against an average of 381 among the 1,714 providers of this specialty who prescribed in Part D. 159 claims were for opioids.

  1. Richard Thunder516
  2. Specialty average381

Most prescribed

  1. Tramadol Hcl66 claims
  2. Ibuprofen54 claims
  3. Diclofenac Sodium53 claims
  4. Oxycodone-Acetaminophen51 claims
  5. Gabapentin49 claims
  6. Meloxicam49 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: $206.40

3 payments; by number, the most common kind was food and beverage; the largest payer was Biotissue Holdings Inc. The 1,726 providers of this specialty with any payment received $34,071.55 on average. Payments are reported by manufacturers, not by the provider, and are not a sign of wrongdoing.

  1. Richard Thunder$206
  2. Specialty average$34,072

Source: CMS Open Payments, program year 2024 (openpaymentsdata.cms.gov); average among providers of this specialty with at least one payment.

Bills Medicare through 3 group practices

  1. LA Jolla Orthopedic Trauma IncLa Jolla, CA
  2. Northern Inyo Healthcare DistrictBishop, CA
  3. Torrey Pines Orthopaedic Medical Group IncLa Jolla, CA

Source: CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File (the group practices a clinician bills Medicare through) (data.cms.gov).

Richard Michael Thunder among 314 orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician records in California

Richard Michael Thunder, M.D. is one of 314 orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician records with a practice address in California. 87% 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 6% of them.

  • NPI issued2006 · 6% of these records are older, 53% newer
  • In a Medicare fileYes · 87% of these records are
  • In the CMS Doctors and Clinicians fileYes · 72% of these records are
  • Graduated1999 · median 2003 among the 226 with a school on file
  • Record last updated2015 · 57% of these records were not updated in five years or more

Source: CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026, every record with primary taxonomy 207XS0117X and a California practice address; Medicare files: CMS Part D Prescribers 2024, MIPS 2023, Open Payments 2024, Doctors and Clinicians (data.cms.gov).

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician providers in California

There are 314 orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician records in California.

All 314 in California → Every provider in La Jolla → Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician nationwide →

The 8 orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician records with the nearest ZIP codes

  1. Ali Bagheri, M.D.La Jolla, CA 920371760632947
  2. Gregory Mundis, M.D.La Jolla, CA 920371992844781
  3. Mark Nelson, MDLa Jolla, CA 920371245341601
  4. Stephen Stephan, MDLa Jolla, CA 920371871088989
  5. Roger Thorne, M.D.La Jolla, CA 920371336190826
  6. Daniel Barba, M.D.Escondido, CA 920251407128580
  7. Abhiram Gande, MDEscondido, CA 920251730508979
  8. Jeffrey Schiffman, M.D.Escondido, CA 920251366450785

Common questions

What is Richard Michael Thunder, M.D.'s NPI number?

Richard Michael Thunder, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1780602276, issued on Jul 17, 2006. An NPI identifies a provider in billing; it is not a license.

Where is Richard Michael Thunder, M.D. located?

The NPPES record lists a practice address at 9850 Genesee Avenue, La Jolla, CA, 92037. Phone: (858) 535-1075. Providers update this record themselves, so call before visiting.

How can I verify Richard Michael Thunder, M.D.'s license?

NPPES lists California license number A72768, as entered by the provider. Search the Medical Board of California at https://www.mbc.ca.gov/License-Verification/default.aspx. The NPPES record confirms identity only; the state search shows license status, expiration and public orders.

How much does Richard Michael Thunder, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D?

In 2024, Richard Michael Thunder, M.D. had 516 Medicare Part D claims for 242 beneficiaries; the average among orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician prescribers was 381. 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.

Written with AI tools from the named public files; every figure is computed from those files (how it is made).

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.