General Questions
Are these rankings only based on Medicare patients?
Yes. Rankings are calculated from Medicare fee-for-service Part B claims for the 2024 service year, the most recent CMS release. Earlier years back to 2013 are used only for the volume trend charts on surgeon profiles. That claims stream is an estimated 25% to 33% of national hip replacement volume, 23% to 28% of knee replacement volume and 29% to 37% of shoulder replacement volume; the derivation and its uncertainty are set out on our methodology page. Surgeons also treat privately insured and Medicare Advantage patients, whose procedures never appear in this file, so a surgeon's true all-payer caseload is higher than the count shown here. Medicare fee-for-service remains the most comprehensive standardized public record of surgical volume in the United States.
Do the rankings identify the “best” surgeon in my area?
They spotlight surgeons with the highest verified procedure volumes, which research shows strongly correlates with better outcomes. Still, you should weigh additional factors such as board certification, hospital quality, insurance coverage, your specific condition, and bedside manner.
What procedures are tracked?
Total hip replacement (CPT 27130), total knee replacement (CPT 27447), and total shoulder replacement (CPT 23472), the three most common arthroplasty procedures covered by Medicare.
How current is the data?
We use the most recent CMS Provider Utilization & Payment release, which covers the 2024 service year and was published in May 2026. Medicare runs roughly 16 to 18 months behind the service year, so the newest data available always describes a year that has already closed.
Methodology & Accuracy
How are surgeon rankings calculated?
For each procedure we aggregate Medicare claims per surgeon, normalize the values, and rank by volume within a state. Search results combine volume with proximity to the ZIP code or city you enter.
Why is procedure volume important?
Four decades of peer-reviewed research have found that patients of higher volume surgeons and hospitals record fewer complications and fewer early revisions. Stated in the direction the studies report them:
- Linking American Joint Replacement Registry records from 2012 to 2017 with Medicare claims, the lowest volume surgeon and hospital pairing carried 1.63 times the adjusted odds of all-cause revision after hip replacement (95% CI 1.41 to 1.89) and 1.72 times after knee replacement (95% CI 1.44 to 2.06), against the highest volume pairing. Read the other way, that is roughly 39% lower odds of hip revision for the highest volume pairing. Siddiqi, JAAOS 2022.
- The same comparison found 2.50 times the odds of early hip revision because of periprosthetic joint infection (95% CI 1.53 to 3.15) and 1.72 times the odds of 90-day mortality after hip replacement (95% CI 1.27 to 2.35), 1.47 times after knee replacement (95% CI 1.15 to 1.86).
- In Medicare claims, surgeons performing more than 50 knee replacements a year in Medicare recipients had 28% lower odds of pneumonia in the first 90 days (OR 0.72, 99% CI 0.54 to 0.95) than surgeons performing twelve or fewer. Katz, JBJS 2004.
- Shoulder replacement has its own, much smaller thresholds: mortality was 0.20% for surgeons doing four or more a year against 0.36% for surgeons doing fewer than two. Jain, JBJS 2004.
All of this evidence is observational, so it shows association rather than cause, and the absolute differences are small even where the ratios are large. Volume is not the only predictor of success, but it is one of the most reliable publicly available signals of experience. Our medical sources library lists every study with its confidence intervals and limits.
How accurate is the location data?
Addresses come directly from Medicare enrollment records. We compute straight-line distance for search results; actual drive times may differ, and some surgeons practice at multiple locations.
Does this include every procedure a surgeon performs?
No. The dataset includes Medicare fee-for-service claims. It does not reflect Medicare Advantage or commercial insurance procedures, which may increase a surgeon’s total case volume.
Using the Rankings
Should I choose a surgeon based solely on this data?
No. Use the rankings as a starting point to identify experienced surgeons, then consult with your primary care physician, review hospital quality metrics, and schedule consultations to find the best individual fit.
What is the difference between state and national rankings?
State rankings compare surgeons within a single state. The national leaderboard highlights the top 250 surgeons across the country based on cumulative Medicare procedure counts.
Where can I review the supporting research?
Visit our medical sources library for citations, outcome studies, and the methodology breakdown supporting each insight.
Who can I contact with additional questions?
Reach out anytime at contact@orthoprocedures.com or through the contact page. Our data team typically responds within one business day.