Payment overview · 2025
General Payments
$2,714.98
22 reported records · 10 companies
Healthcare provider profile · identity verified
James M. Frix, MD
Allopathic & Osteopathic Physicians|Orthopaedic Surgery|Sports Medicine · DALTON, GA · NPI 1396838363
Verified facts
What the public records show
CMS Open Payments records show James M. Frix, MD received $2,714.98 in general payments during 2025 across 22 reported records.
SMOKY MOUNTAIN SURGICAL LLC accounted for 42.4% of that reported general-payment amount.
The Open Payments records used for this analysis explicitly named 9 associated products.
These records do not establish that a payment influenced prescribing or medical care.
Separate record types
Research & Ownership
Research Payments (direct recipient): not present in the loaded data
Associated Research Funding (for example, named PI): not present in the loaded data
Ownership / Investment: not present in the loaded data
These categories are never added into the General Payments headline. Associated research funding must not be described as money the doctor personally received unless the source record supports that conclusion.
Who paid this doctor?
Companies in 2025 General Payments
| Reported company | Canonical company | Amount | Share | Records | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKY MOUNTAIN SURGICAL LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $1,149.91 | 42.4% | 5 | 2025 |
| Arthrex, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $1,129.05 | 41.6% | 8 | 2025 |
| Smith+Nephew, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $137.92 | 5.1% | 2 | 2025 |
| Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $123.87 | 4.6% | 1 | 2025 |
| Bioventus LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $49.60 | 1.8% | 1 | 2025 |
| VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $32.21 | 1.2% | 1 | 2025 |
| Molnlycke Health Care US, LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $27.28 | 1.0% | 1 | 2025 |
| Nalu Medical, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $24.37 | 0.9% | 1 | 2025 |
| Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $21.44 | 0.8% | 1 | 2025 |
| Stryker Corporation | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $19.33 | 0.7% | 1 | 2025 |
What were the payments for?
Payment categories
| Category | Amount | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Travel and Lodging | $1,666.36 | 3 |
| Food and Beverage | $1,048.62 | 19 |
A meal, consulting fee, royalty, and travel payment describe different kinds of reported relationships and should not be interpreted as equivalent.
Analysis 1 · Payment-linked products
Products named in Open Payments records
| Reported product | Type | Reported company | Related amount* | Records | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legion Revision Normalized: legion revision |
Device | Smith+Nephew, Inc. | $137.92 | 2 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| REAL INTELLIGENCE Normalized: real intelligence |
Device | Smith+Nephew, Inc. | $137.92 | 2 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| XCELL Normalized: xcell |
Device | Bioventus LLC | $49.60 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| JOURNAVX Normalized: journavx |
Drug | VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED | $32.21 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Avance Normalized: avance |
Device | Molnlycke Health Care US, LLC | $27.28 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Mepilex Border Post-Op Ag Normalized: mepilex border post op ag |
Device | Molnlycke Health Care US, LLC | $27.28 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Nalu Neurostimulation System Normalized: nalu neurostimulation system |
Device | Nalu Medical, Inc. | $24.37 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Exparel Normalized: exparel |
Drug | Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | $21.44 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| BLUEPRINT PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTATION Normalized: blueprint patient specific instrumentation |
Device | Stryker Corporation | $19.33 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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* Product-associated amounts are non-additive because one payment record may name more than one product.
These products were named on specific Open Payments records. A named product does not show that the payment influenced treatment or prescribing.
Public prescribing for products named in payments
No exact normalized or approved-alias overlap was found in the loaded Part D year. This does not mean the doctor never prescribed the product.
The presence of the same drug in both datasets does not show that a payment caused or influenced a prescription.
Analysis 2 · Same-company prescribing overlap
Drugs reported in other payments from the same company that also appear in Medicare Part D
This analysis is independent from products named on this doctor’s individual payment records. A row appears only when the exact Open Payments reporting entity paid this doctor, that same reporting entity reported the drug or biological on at least 10 loaded General Payment records involving at least 2 distinct recipient NPIs, and this doctor has the same non-generic brand in public Part D data. This does not mean the company owns or manufactures the drug.
No publishable same-company prescribing overlap was found in the loaded Part D year. This does not mean the doctor never prescribed a drug reported elsewhere by a paying company.
These facts do not show that a payment was for the drug, that the company owns or manufactures the drug, or that a payment caused or influenced prescribing.
Public Medicare Part D data
Provider-and-drug rows loaded for 2024
| Brand | Generic | Claims | Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meloxicam | Meloxicam | 193 | 75 |
| Celecoxib | Celecoxib | 124 | 30 |
| Cephalexin | Cephalexin | 104 | 68 |
| Diclofenac Sodium | Diclofenac Sodium | 94 | 39 |
| Tramadol Hcl | Tramadol Hcl | 92 | 67 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | Oxycodone Hcl | 74 | 51 |
| Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen | Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 63 | 51 |
| Prolia | Denosumab | 60 | 51 |
| Alendronate Sodium | Alendronate Sodium | 48 | 14 |
| Gabapentin | Gabapentin | 46 | 42 |
| Methylprednisolone | Methylprednisolone | 35 | 34 |
| Diazepam | Diazepam | 28 | 25 |
| Oxycodone-Acetaminophen | Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 27 | 25 |
| Teriparatide | Teriparatide | 22 | suppressed |
| Ibuprofen | Ibuprofen | 13 | suppressed |
| Clindamycin Hcl | Clindamycin Hcl | 11 | suppressed |
| Ondansetron Odt | Ondansetron | 11 | suppressed |
Timeline
Payment and prescribing data by year
Open Payments and Medicare Part D may refer to different years. They are shown separately rather than aligned as if they describe the same period.
| Year | General Payments | Main payer | Explicit products | Company overlaps | Part D coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,714.98 · 22 records | SMOKY MOUNTAIN SURGICAL LLC | Avance, BLUEPRINT PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTATION, Exparel, JOURNAVX, Legion Revision, Mepilex Border Post-Op Ag, Nalu Neurostimulation System, REAL INTELLIGENCE, XCELL | — | — |
| 2024 | — | — | — | — | Complete |
Questions to ask
Questions you could discuss with your doctor
- Are there reasonable alternatives I should understand when we discuss treatment options?
- How should I interpret the industry-payment records shown here in the context of my care?
These are general questions generated from reviewed templates. They are not personalized medical advice.
Sources and limitations
How to read this page
- Payment and Medicare prescribing data can cover different years; every comparison shows both years explicitly.
- Part D does not represent a doctor’s entire practice; it excludes many patients and is subject to CMS public-release thresholds.
- Company–drug relationships must have an auditable source, a precise relationship type, and a valid evidence period. Unresolved mappings are not published.
- Generic drug claims are not attributed to a specific manufacturer without manufacturer-level evidence.
- When a source extract is incomplete, missing rows are never treated as proof of no payments or no prescriptions.
Loaded source releases
| Dataset | Year | Publication | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMS Open Payments — General Payments | 2025 | 2026-06-30 | Original source |
| Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug | 2024 | 2026-05-06 | Original source |
| NPPES Data Dissemination V2 | current / reference data | 2026-08-10 | Original source |
Full methodology · Questions & answers · Report a possible error