Methodology

Summary

TopOrthoDocs is an informational physician search and ranking interface that prioritizes procedure-specific experience signals. Listings and ranks are generated from publicly available and third-party data, user-selected procedure and location inputs, and other available indicators. Rankings and terms such as "top" or "best" reflect opinion derived from data and methodology, are not medical advice, do not create a physician-patient relationship, and do not guarantee results for any individual.

Inputs

• Procedure selected by the user.
• Location derived from ZIP code geocoding (ZIP validated as 5 digits; geocoding may be cached and may use third-party sources).
• Search radius selected by the user.
• Procedure volume counts and percentile metrics derived from sourced datasets that may be delayed, incomplete, corrected post-publication, or inaccurate.
• We analyze publicly available Google Business Profile ratings and review signals through Google-authorized APIs, then apply a statistical method (a Wilson lower bound calculation) to convert them into a more conservative, normalized score that accounts for both rating level and review count; the score may be missing, outdated, or not representative and is not endorsed by Google.

Data sources and dates

• Procedure counts come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) public dataset Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners (by Provider and Service) for calendar year 2024. CMS released it in May 2026, and we loaded it on September 30, 2026.
• The counts cover Original Medicare (fee-for-service Part B) claims only. Procedures paid for by private insurance, Medicare Advantage, or the patient are not counted, so a surgeon's total volume may be higher than the number shown.
• CMS withholds a surgeon's count for a procedure when fewer than 11 Medicare patients received it that year, so a surgeon with a lower volume may not appear for that procedure.
• A surgeon's count for a procedure is the sum across the settings where it was performed (facility and office).
• The percentile compares that count with every other orthopedic surgeon in our list who billed Medicare for the same procedure in 2024.
• The surgeon list comes from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) download of November 2025 and includes physicians whose primary specialty is orthopedic surgery or one of its subspecialties.
• Google ratings are a snapshot from December 2025 and may differ from what the listing shows today. Surgeons who first appear in the 2024 data are shown without a rating.

Last data update: September 30, 2026.

Ranking

1. Higher percentile rank first, when available.
2. If percentile is missing or unavailable, higher total services (procedure count) first.
3. Then closer distance first (distance calculated from geocoded ZIP using a radius filter).

Methodology and weighting may change over time; we do not warrant completeness or accuracy and have no duty to update.

Sponsored Listings

Any sponsored listings labeled "Sponsored" and/or "Ad" are paid advertising placements and may appear above or among organic results. Sponsored placement is not an endorsement, recommendation, or statement of clinical superiority, and does not imply any physician is "better" than non-sponsored physicians.