Dr. Christopher Atchison , DMD
Dentist • Palm Desert, CA
40685 Cabana Ct
Palm Desert, CA 922602361
This profile restates public CMS/NPPES data; T-MedInfo gives no medical advice — consult a licensed professional, and call 911 for emergencies.
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NPI assigned on June 7, 2016; this date does not establish years in practice.
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Published CMS data list 194 Original Medicare Part B services in 2018.
Source: CMS, Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners – by Provider and Service, 2018. Published rows only; this is not a quality measure.
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Published Part B service records, 2018:
- 21210 — Repair of nasal or cheek bone with bone graft: 48 service units.
- 21215 — Repair of lower jaw bone with bone graft: 36 service units.
- 21208 — Incision and repair of bony defect of cheek bone with repositioning of bony segment: 33 service units.
Source: CMS, Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners – by Provider and Service, 2018. Units differ by code; these are not visits or a measure of quality.
CPT® only copyright 2017 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Service names are shortened from CPT Consumer Friendly Descriptors (CMS data, 2018). CPT notice
See all 6 records in the table · Guide: How to read Medicare Part B data
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Published CMS data list 147 Medicare Part D prescriptions, including refills, in 2019.
Source: CMS, Medicare Part D Prescribers – by Provider and Drug, 2019. Published rows only; this is not a quality measure.
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Published Part D records, 2019:
- Amoxicillin — 59 prescription fills, including refills.
- Ibuprofen — 38 prescription fills, including refills.
- Chlorhexidine Gluconate — 25 prescription fills, including refills.
Source: CMS, Medicare Part D Prescribers – by Provider and Drug, 2019. Drug names come from pharmacy claims. Listing a drug here is not an endorsement or a recommendation.
See all 5 records in the table · Guide: How to read Medicare Part D prescriber data
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Medicare Part D prescriptions went from 96 in 2017 to 147 in 2019.
Source: CMS, Medicare Part D Prescribers – by Provider and Drug, 2017–2019.
Practice Location & Contact Primary Location
40685 Cabana Ct
Palm Desert, CA 922602361
What Public CMS Data Show
Dentist: NPPES taxonomy is a reported classification, not proof of board certification.
Medicare patients
37 people with Original Medicare in 2018
It gives a sense of how many people with Medicare this clinician treated that year.
Source: CMS, Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners – by Provider, 2018.
Medicare-allowed amount
About $269,299 in 2018
The total amount Medicare approved for these services in 2018. It includes what Medicare paid and what patients or their other insurance owed, such as the deductible and coinsurance.
It shows the total cost of this clinician's Original Medicare services under Medicare's fee rules.
What this does not show: Medicare-allowed amount
This is not the clinician's income. Part of it can go to a clinic or group practice, staff, equipment or drugs. It is not the price you will pay.
Source: CMS, Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners – by Provider and Service, 2018.
Paid by Medicare
About $213,192 in 2018
The part of the Medicare-allowed amount that Medicare itself paid in 2018, after patients' deductibles and coinsurance.
The gap between the allowed amount and this number is roughly what patients and their other insurance paid.
What this does not show: Paid by Medicare
This is not the clinician's income and not a measure of quality.
Source: CMS, Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners – by Provider and Service, 2018.
30-day fills
147 standardized 30-day fills in 2019
CMS converts prescriptions to 30-day supplies so they can be compared. A 90-day prescription counts as about three 30-day fills.
What this does not show: 30-day fills
It is not a count of patients and not a measure of quality.
Part D drug cost
$644 in 2019
The total cost of these prescriptions in 2019, paid by Medicare drug plans, patients and other payers together.
It shows the total spending on drugs this clinician prescribed, not what any one patient paid.
What this does not show: Part D drug cost
A higher cost often reflects the type of medicines a specialty uses. It is not your out-of-pocket cost and not a measure of quality.
Source: CMS, Medicare Part D Prescribers – by Provider and Drug, 2019.
Open Payments general payments, program year 2025
All general payments: $139.24 across 2 records.
By nature of payment
- Food and Beverage: $139.24 across 2 records.
Reporting-company totals
- Dentsply Sirona Inc: $120.71 across 1 record.
- OraPharma, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC: $18.53 across 1 record.
A reported payment does not necessarily mean the financial relationship is improper and is not a measure of care quality. Clinicians can review and dispute these records.
Source: Calculated by T-MedInfo from CMS Open Payments general-payment records for program year 2025 (published June 30, 2026).
NPI first issued
2016
The year this clinician's National Provider Identifier (NPI) was issued. An NPI is a unique 10-digit ID that US health care providers use for billing.
What this does not show: NPI first issued
NPIs have been issued only since 2005, so this year is not necessarily when the clinician started practicing.
Source: CMS NPPES NPI Registry.
Medicare assignment not listed
CMS data do not show whether this clinician accepts Medicare assignment. This does not mean they do not accept Medicare. Ask the office.
Medicare assignment applies to Original Medicare. It does not tell you whether the clinician is in a Medicare Advantage plan's network, accepts other insurance, or is taking new patients.
Source: CMS Doctors and Clinicians; Medicare.gov, “Does your provider accept Medicare as full payment?”
No telehealth indicator
CMS shows this indicator only when recent Medicare claims include telehealth services. The clinician may still offer telehealth; ask the office.
Source: CMS, Telehealth Indicator on Medicare Care Compare (fact sheet, January 2023); CMS Doctors and Clinicians.
Compared with the same specialty in Palm Desert and California
Billing and prescribing volume is not a quality rating.
Medicare Part B
Comparisons use 2024 data. The latest CMS data for Dr. Atchison are from 2018.
Medicare Part D
Comparisons use 2024 data. The latest CMS data for Dr. Atchison are from 2019.
30 active clinicians are listed under Dentist with a practice address in Palm Desert, CA (14,811 in California).
Addresses are self-reported to NPPES and may be out of date.
Telehealth indicator in Palm Desert
0% of these 30 clinicians have the CMS telehealth indicator.
0% of these 30 clinicians are listed by CMS as accepting Medicare assignment.
CMS data by year
Changes may reflect reporting, coverage or privacy limits, not changes in care quality.
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Medicare Part B services
CMS data for Medicare Part B services are available for 2018 only.
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Medicare-allowed amount
CMS data for Medicare-allowed amount are available for 2018 only.
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Paid by Medicare
CMS data for Medicare payment amount are available for 2018 only.
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Medicare Part D prescriptions
Medicare Part D prescriptions increased 53% from 96 in 2017 to 147 in 2019.
- 2017: 96
- 2018: 132
- 2019: 147
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30-day fills
30-day fills increased 53% from 96 in 2017 to 147 in 2019.
- 2017: 96
- 2018: 132
- 2019: 147
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Part D drug cost
Part D drug cost went from $350 in 2017 to $644 in 2019.
- 2017: $350
- 2018: $547
- 2019: $644
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Industry payments (Open Payments)
Industry payments (Open Payments) went from $54.33 in 2023 to $139.24 in 2025.
- 2023: $54.33
- 2025: $139.24
Sources: CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners (2018), CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers (2019), CMS Open Payments (2025), CMS Doctors and Clinicians, CMS NPPES NPI Registry. Specialty names follow the NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy.
Text: T-MedInfo · Report an error.
Pharma & Medical Device Financial Disclosures
Payments and other transfers of value that drug and medical device companies reported to CMS Open Payments
Program year 2025 (payments made January 1 – December 31, 2025): fewer than 11 records totaling $139.24.
| Manufacturer | Payment Nature | Product | Type | Amount ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentsply Sirona Inc |
Food and Beverage
In-kind items and services
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ATLANTIS | General | $120.71 |
| OraPharma, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC |
Food and Beverage
In-kind items and services
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ARESTIN | General | $18.53 |
Source: CMS Open Payments, program year 2025, released June 30, 2026.
Performed Procedures & Service Volume
CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. CPT codes, descriptions and other data only are copyright 2017 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Applicable FARS/HHSARS apply. Descriptions of CPT codes are the AMA's CPT Consumer Friendly Descriptors as published by CMS in the Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners – by Provider and Service data, 2018; they are plain-language summaries, not for clinical coding or documentation. HCPCS Level II codes and descriptions are from CMS. Fee schedules, relative value units, conversion factors and/or related components are not assigned by the AMA, are not part of CPT, and the AMA is not recommending their use. The AMA does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or dispense medical services. The AMA assumes no liability for data contained or not contained herein.
| HCPCS Code | Services | Patients | Submitted Charge | Medicare Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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21210
Repair of nasal or cheek bone with bone graft
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48 | 28 | $3100.00 | $1524.51 |
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21215
Repair of lower jaw bone with bone graft
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36 | 21 | $5416.67 | $3340.62 |
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21208
Incision and repair of bony defect of cheek bone with repositioning of bony segment
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33 | 32 | $1000.00 | $932.09 |
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21079
Impression and custom preparation of temporary oral prosthesis
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30 | 30 | $1500.00 | $899.55 |
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21026
Removal of face bone
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25 | 25 | $520.00 | $320.55 |
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21025
Removal of lower jaw bone
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22 | 21 | $500.00 | $459.15 |
Source: CMS Part B by Provider and Service, 2018; services under 11 beneficiaries omitted by CMS. Privacy limits
Submitted charges are billed amounts, not a price quote for your visit.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Profile & Medications
Medicare Part D prescriptions filled, including refills, in 2019.
| Brand Name | Generic Name | Prescriptions | Day Supply | Total Cost | Patients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amoxicillin | Amoxicillin | 59 | 363 | $228.23 | 52 |
| Ibuprofen | Ibuprofen | 38 | 215 | $132.22 | 36 |
| Chlorhexidine Gluconate | Chlorhexidine Gluconate | 25 | 506 | $171.10 | 12 |
| Acetaminophen-Codeine | Acetaminophen With Codeine | 14 | 69 | $43.12 | 11 |
| Clindamycin Hcl | Clindamycin Hcl | 11 | 53 | $69.71 | — |
Source: CMS Part D by Provider and Drug, 2019; rows below 11 claims omitted by CMS; volume isn’t quality. Privacy limits
Specialties & License Numbers Reported to NPPES
NUCC Taxonomy Code: 122300000X
A dentist is a person qualified by a doctorate in dental surgery (D.D.S.) or dental medicine (D.M.D.), licensed by the state to practice dentistry, and practicing within the scope of that license. There is no difference between the two degrees: dentists who have a DMD or DDS have the same education. Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded. Both degrees use the same curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Generally, three or more years of undergraduate education plus four years of dental school is required to graduate and become a general dentist. State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the same scope of general dentistry. Additional post-graduate training is required to become a dental specialist.
Career & Practice History
NPI enumerated June 07, 2016.
No changes to the name, practice address, taxonomy or NPI status in this record have been observed in the monthly NPPES data files from January 2017 to November 2026.
NPI Administrative Meta
Other Dentists in Palm Desert
- Dr. Chanette Mcdonald, DDS
- Dr. Hamid Younesi, DDS
- Dr. Miranda Kore, DDS
- Dr. Natalie Whang, DDS
- Matthew Horspool
- Dr. Sarah Khoshniyati, DDS
Mailing Address
40685 Cabana Ct
Palm Desert, CA 922602361
Phone: 6172334290