Orthopedic Assistant providers in the U.S.
141 NPPES records list orthopedic assistant as their primary taxonomy; Idaho and Alaska have the most per resident. 1 of them appear in the Medicare Part D prescriber file: a registry record is not proof of an active practice.
What taxonomy code 246ZX2200X means
246ZX2200X is the National Uniform Claim Committee code for Specialist/Technologist, Other, Orthopedic Assistant, in the grouping Technologists, Technicians & Other Technical Service Providers. 141 NPPES records list it as their primary taxonomy (file of Aug 9, 2026).
An Orthopaedic Assistant is a person who has been trained to work as a physician extender in both clinical and surgical environments. An Orthopaedic Assistant assists with aspects of patient care as determined by the supervising surgeon including, but not limited to, obtaining patient history, assisting with examinations, injections, recording of office notes, and application/adjustment/removal of splints, casts, and other immobilization devices. Acting as a surgical first assistant for orthopaedic surgery cases includes providing aid in exposure, hemostasis, positioning of the patient, suturing and closure of body planes and skin, application of wound dressings or immobilization devices, and other technical functions that will help the surgeon carry out a safe operation with optimal results for the patient. An Orthopaedic Assistant may be licensed, registered, or certified depending on the state in which the individual practices.
Source: NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set, definition as NUCC publishes it (nucc.org); counts from CMS NPPES.
Most per resident: the 8 highest
Source: CMS NPPES, primary taxonomy 246ZX2200X by practice state, file of Aug 9, 2026; records per 100,000 residents, 2023 Census estimates.
Laguna Woods has the most, 7
Source: CMS NPPES, primary taxonomy 246ZX2200X by practice city, file of Aug 9, 2026.
All 34 states and D.C. with records, by state
| State | Records | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 | 0.0 |
| Alaska | 2 | 0.3 |
| Arizona | 3 | 0.0 |
| California | 36 | 0.1 |
| Colorado | 3 | 0.1 |
| Florida | 7 | 0.0 |
| Georgia | 11 | 0.1 |
| Idaho | 5 | 0.3 |
| Indiana | 1 | 0.0 |
| Iowa | 2 | 0.1 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0.0 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 0.0 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 0.1 |
| Maryland | 2 | 0.0 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 0.0 |
| Minnesota | 5 | 0.1 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 0.0 |
| State | Records | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 2 | 0.0 |
| Nevada | 4 | 0.1 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 0.0 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 0.0 |
| New York | 12 | 0.1 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 0.0 |
| Ohio | 6 | 0.1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 0.0 |
| Oregon | 1 | 0.0 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 0.0 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 0.0 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 0.1 |
| Texas | 8 | 0.0 |
| Virginia | 1 | 0.0 |
| Washington | 1 | 0.0 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 0.0 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 0.2 |
In federal data
- NUCC code246ZX2200X · Specialist/Technologist, Other
- Size rank485th of 688 specialties by records (0% of all)
- In its family7th of 15 Specialist/Technologist, Other codes, 1.1% of the family
- Part D prescribers1 (0.7% of records)
- Part D claims109 a year per prescriber, on average (336th of 496)
- Industry payments2 physicians paid $182 in 2024, $91 each on average
- Concentration5 states hold half of all records
Source: CMS NPPES; Medicare Part D Prescriber PUF; CMS Open Payments 2024. Presence in these files is not a quality judgment.
A sample of orthopedic assistant records
- Rachel ClaytonJber, AK1396103826
- Jim Land, CSAWasilla, AK1902232366
- Eric Smith, OTCDecatur, AL1295240588
- Amanda Abdou, LPNChandler, AZ1790404291
- Heather Romero, OTCPeoria, AZ1376284463
- Cari Horne, CSFAFort Mohave, AZ1770151235
- Egon TrujilloTorrance, CA1336509801
- Michael Mercado, OTCWhittier, CA1457725434
- Tommy JacksonLong Beach, CA1497297154
- Melissa MendozaLong Beach, CA1235728445
- Mario RodriguezLong Beach, CA1184326845
- Harold RiceJamul, CA1639626542
Registry order, not a ranking. Search by name to find one provider.
Common questions
Why is Orthopedic Assistant a thin NUCC code in NPPES?
Only 141 NPIs list Orthopedic Assistant as primary taxonomy across 35 states (peak California, 36). That is 485th of 688 NUCC codes by headcount. Thin codes are still searchable by NPI; do not treat the low count as a quality signal.
Do the few Orthopedic Assistant NPIs in Open Payments look unusual?
CMS Open Payments 2024 lists 2 paid Orthopedic Assistant physicians totaling $182 (3 payments; average $91, 422nd of 470 by average). Presence is not a quality judgment; thin specialties often have sparse payment rows.
How much Part D prescribing does this specialty do?
Among Orthopedic Assistant NPIs, 1 appear in the Medicare Part D Prescriber PUF (average 109 claims and $728 drug cost per prescriber; 336th of 496 specialties by average claims). Non-prescribing clinicians in the same NUCC code are still in NPPES.
Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), file of Aug 9, 2026 (NPPES files on CMS.gov); NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy (nucc.org); Medicare Part D Prescriber PUF; CMS Open Payments 2024. Counts are self-designated primary taxonomy, not board certification.
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.