James Blankenship, MD
Neurological Surgery · Fayetteville, ARNPI 1245202274
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by royalties or licence payments: $168,388 of the $217,385 with a category attached, or 77.5%. The Institute Of Musculoskeletal Science And Education accounts for 91.0% of it on its own, with 6 other manufacturers making up the rest. Among neurological surgery clinicians in AR with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 78 payments — averaging $2786.99 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- The Institute Of Musculoskeletal Science And Education$198K
- Camber Spine Technologies LLC$19K
- Philadelphia Medical Management Company LLC$321
- Shockwave Medical, Inc$80
- Midsouth Orthopedics Inc.$54
- Abbott$40
- plus $11 from 1 others
Across 6 payments — averaging $16,667 each. An ownership or investment interest held by the physician or an immediate family member.
- Philadelphia Medical Management Company LLC$100K
What the payments were for
- Royalty or licence$168,38877%
- Consulting fees$39,78518%
- Speaking & faculty fees$1,6001%
- Travel & lodging$6,5453%
- Food & beverage$7460%
- Ownership interest$3210%
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| The Institute Of Musculoskeletal Science And Education | 46 | $197,819 |
| Camber Spine Technologies LLC | 22 | $19,060 |
| Philadelphia Medical Management Company LLC | 2 | $321 |
| Shockwave Medical, Inc | 4 | $80 |
| Midsouth Orthopedics Inc. | 1 | $54 |
| Abbott | 2 | $40 |
| Novo Nordisk | 1 | $11 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
How this compares
$217,385 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 64 neurological surgery providers in Arkansas.
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 92 | $978 |
| Gabapentin | 101 | $970 |
| Pregabalin | 41 | $780 |
| Celecoxib | 24 | $398 |
| Meloxicam | 149 | $340 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 35 | $251 |
| Clindamycin Hcl | 42 | $178 |
| Ondansetron OdtOndansetron | 24 | $144 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 38 | $144 |
| Baclofen | 23 | $119 |
| Levofloxacin | 32 | $91 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other neurological surgery in Fayetteville
- Daniel ShepherdFayetteville$10K
- John BarrFayetteville$3K
- Larry ArmstrongFayetteville$2K
- Brent PetersonFayetteville$680
- Sen ShengFayetteville$311
- Erika PetersenLittle Rock$663K
- Keith NorvillHot Springs$91K
- Muhammad KandelHot Springs$76K
- John DayLittle Rock$44K
- Dominic MaggioLittle Rock$34K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.