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Home > CA Providers > Orthopedic Surgeons

Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD

Accepting New Patients

(423 Ratings)

Specializes in: Orthopedics/Orthopedic Surgery and Hand Surgery

Georgetown University School of Medicine (2002)

Professional interests include: hand surgery procedures

7425 Mission Valley Road Suite 202
San Diego, CA 92108

(619) 245-2350

Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD is an orthopedist in San Diego, CA specializing in orthopedics/orthopedic surgery and hand surgery. He graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2002 and has 24 years of experience. Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD is affiliated with Scripps Clinic, Scripps Health and Scripps Green Hospital.

Office Locations

7425 Mission Valley Road Suite 202
San Diego, CA 92108

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15004 Innovation Drive
San Diego, CA 92128

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10710 N Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, CA 92037

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Building
دهستان گجلرات غربی 07425

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In The News (see more mentions in the news)

“"Tony's recovery time all depends on what we find when we get in there,' said Dr. H. Paul Hirshman of Scripps Clinic, who will be assisting a hand specialist, Dr. Merlin Hamer, with the operation. "”—"Sore Finger Forces Gwynn to Take His Cut : Surgery Today Will Keep the Padres' Best Hitter Out for 4 to 6 Weeks", Los Angeles Times, May 2025

“SAN DIEGO - Pitcher Greg Harris underwent surgery on the middle finger on his right hand Monday, during which Drs. Merlin Hamer, the Padres' hand specialist, and Jan Fronek inserted two small...”—"PADRES UPDATE / NOTEBOOK : Greg Harris Undergoes Surgery, Will Be Out About Six Weeks", Los Angeles Times, March 2025

“The surgery was performed by Drs. Merlin Hamer and Jan Fronek at Scripps Clinic.”—"Fernandez Undergoes Surgery", Los Angeles Times, January 2025

Noteworthy Medicare Patient Procedures Performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2023

Click on any procedure below to see further details on volume and pricing among Medicare patients.

Top 5%

By Volume:

endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery

In 2023, Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD performed more endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery procedures for Medicare patients than 95% of providers in related specialties within California.

Top 10%

By Volume:

injections

minimally invasive procedures

nerve surgery

tendon surgery

upper extremity surgery

In 2023, Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD performed more injections, minimally invasive procedures, nerve surgery, tendon surgery, and upper extremity surgery procedures for Medicare patients than 90% of providers in related specialties within California.

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2012 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2012 were injections, immobilization, upper extremity surgery and aspiration.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	60
bone surgery	12
decompression surgery	43
doctor visit	766
excision	12
immobilization	128
injections	217
joint surgery	11
nerve procedures	43
open surgery	43
reconstructive surgery	11
tendon surgery	26
upper extremity surgery	92

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2013 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2013 were injections, immobilization, aspiration and upper extremity surgery.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	68
decompression surgery	45
doctor visit	807
immobilization	103
injections	281
nerve procedures	45
open surgery	45
tendon surgery	21
upper extremity surgery	66

2013 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	187
Female	303

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	426
Black	0
Hispanic	24
Asian	0
Other	16
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	247
From 75 to 84	136
85 and over	74
Less than 65	33

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2013

Hypertension	54
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	18
Asthma	4
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	13
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	20
Dementia	3
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2014 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2014 were injections, upper extremity surgery, immobilization and tendon surgery.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	40
decompression surgery	49
doctor visit	809
immobilization	121
injections	258
joint surgery	16
nerve procedures	49
open surgery	49
reconstructive surgery	16
tendon surgery	74
transplant procedures	15
upper extremity surgery	139

2014 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	221
Female	309

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	454
Black	0
Hispanic	25
Asian	23
Other	15
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	272
From 75 to 84	154
85 and over	71
Less than 65	33

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2014

Hypertension	47
High Cholesterol	49
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	17
Chronic Kidney Disease	16
Asthma	4
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	9
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	21
Dementia	5
Cancer	8

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2015 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2015 were injections, immobilization, upper extremity surgery and aspiration.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	65
decompression surgery	27
doctor visit	868
immobilization	144
injections	284
joint surgery	15
nerve procedures	27
open surgery	27
reconstructive surgery	15
tendon surgery	60
transplant procedures	15
upper extremity surgery	102

2015 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	454
Female	688

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	988
Black	0
Hispanic	52
Asian	44
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	614
From 75 to 84	306
85 and over	140
Less than 65	82

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2015

Hypertension	48
High Cholesterol	48
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	25
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	15
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	9
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	20
Dementia	4
Cancer	8

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2016 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2016 were injections, immobilization, upper extremity surgery and aspiration.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	62
decompression surgery	42
doctor visit	822
immobilization	78
injections	264
minimally invasive procedures	42
nerve procedures	42
tendon surgery	35
upper extremity surgery	77

2016 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	269
Female	379

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	554
Black	12
Hispanic	15
Asian	40
Other	27
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	335
From 75 to 84	201
85 and over	73
Less than 65	39

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2016

Hypertension	52
High Cholesterol	51
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	24
Depression	17
Chronic Kidney Disease	15
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	7
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	6
Diabetes	20
Dementia	5
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2017 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2017 were injections, upper extremity surgery, immobilization and tendon surgery.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	64
decompression surgery	43
diagnostic procedures	15
doctor visit	926
excision	28
immobilization	102
injections	280
joint surgery	29
manual therapy	33
minimally invasive procedures	43
nerve procedures	43
plastic surgery procedures	13
reconstructive surgery	29
rehabilitation	73
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	28
soft tissue surgery	15
tendon surgery	75
tissue transfer	13
transplant procedures	16
upper extremity surgery	121
vascular procedures	15
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	13

2017 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	288
Female	447

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	631
Black	0
Hispanic	30
Asian	38
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	407
From 75 to 84	214
85 and over	78
Less than 65	36

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2017

Hypertension	49
High Cholesterol	42
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	21
Dementia	5
Cancer	9

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2018 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2018 were injections, upper extremity surgery, rehabilitation and immobilization.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	70
decompression surgery	53
doctor visit	870
immobilization	81
injections	317
joint surgery	14
manual therapy	49
minimally invasive procedures	53
nerve procedures	53
reconstructive surgery	14
rehabilitation	89
tendon surgery	71
transplant procedures	14
upper extremity surgery	138

2018 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	315
Female	397

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	619
Black	11
Hispanic	32
Asian	32
Other	18
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	396
From 75 to 84	200
85 and over	84
Less than 65	32

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2018

Hypertension	49
High Cholesterol	49
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	24
Depression	18
Chronic Kidney Disease	17
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	18
Dementia	5
Cancer	8

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2019 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2019 were injections, upper extremity surgery, tendon surgery and nerve procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	58
decompression surgery	74
doctor visit	902
excision	14
immobilization	40
injections	382
joint surgery	30
minimally invasive procedures	74
nerve procedures	74
reconstructive surgery	16
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	14
tendon surgery	90
transplant procedures	16
upper extremity surgery	166

2019 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	318
Female	468

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	675
Black	0
Hispanic	37
Asian	37
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	419
From 75 to 84	233
85 and over	92
Less than 65	42

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2019

Hypertension	45
High Cholesterol	48
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	22
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	17
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	17
Dementia	4
Cancer	9

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2020 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2020 were injections, upper extremity surgery, aspiration and immobilization.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	57
decompression surgery	51
doctor visit	768
excision	11
fracture surgery	11
immobilization	57
injections	388
joint surgery	11
minimally invasive procedures	51
nerve procedures	51
open surgery	11
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	11
tendon surgery	42
upper extremity surgery	93

2020 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	260
Female	404

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	573
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	27
Other	29
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	367
From 75 to 84	205
85 and over	65
Less than 65	27

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2020

Hypertension	44
High Cholesterol	46
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	25
Depression	16
Chronic Kidney Disease	18
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	11
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	6
Diabetes	17
Dementia	3
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2021 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2021 were injections, upper extremity surgery, aspiration and nerve procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	84
decompression surgery	62
doctor visit	853
immobilization	40
injections	422
minimally invasive procedures	62
nerve procedures	62
tendon surgery	58
upper extremity surgery	120

2021 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	289
Female	462

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	635
Black	0
Hispanic	43
Asian	0
Other	32
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	408
From 75 to 84	240
85 and over	71
Less than 65	32

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2021

Hypertension	49
High Cholesterol	50
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	9
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	18
Dementia	5
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2022 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA during 2022 were injections, aspiration, upper extremity surgery and nerve procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	113
decompression surgery	44
diagnostic procedures	11
doctor visit	887
excision	11
immobilization	37
injections	503
minimally invasive procedures	44
nerve procedures	44
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	11
soft tissue surgery	11
tendon surgery	32
upper extremity surgery	76
vascular procedures	11

2022 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	312
Female	489

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	665
Black	0
Hispanic	44
Asian	0
Other	48
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	413
From 75 to 84	288
85 and over	78
Less than 65	22

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD in 2022

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	69
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	21
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	17
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	22
Atrial Fibrilation	16
Heart Failure	7
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	18
Dementia	2
Cancer	13

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2012 - 2022

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated as an orthopedist in San Diego, CA were injections, upper extremity surgery, immobilization and rehabilitation.

aspiration	67
bone surgery	12
decompression surgery	48
diagnostic procedures	13
doctor visit	843
excision	15
fracture surgery	11
immobilization	84
injections	326
joint surgery	18
manual therapy	41
minimally invasive procedures	52
nerve procedures	48
open surgery	35
plastic surgery procedures	13
reconstructive surgery	16
rehabilitation	81
removal of lesion (e.g. growth)	16
soft tissue surgery	13
tendon surgery	53
tissue transfer	13
transplant procedures	15
upper extremity surgery	108
vascular procedures	13
wound repair (e.g. stitches)	13

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2012 - 2022

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD.

**Gender**
Male	264
Female	395

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	2
Asian / Pacific Islander	21
Non-Hispanic White	565
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	27
Other	16

**Age**
75 to 84	197
85 and over	75
Less than 65	34
65 to 74	352

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD From 2012 - 2022

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD treated were high cholesterol, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and depression.

Hypertension	45
High Cholesterol	45
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	22
Depression	16
Chronic Kidney Disease	15
Asthma	5
Osteoporosis	11
Heart Failure	8
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	17
Atrial Fibrillation	10
Dementia	3
Cancer	8

Education & Training

Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2002. He completed residency at University of Connecticut Affiliated Hospitals. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery and has a state license in California.

Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine (2002)

Residency: University of Connecticut Affiliated Hospitals (2007)

Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery (2010)

Licensed In: California

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Scripps Clinic

Scripps Health

Scripps Green Hospital

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 423 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in San Diego, CA.

4.9

Overall Rating

(423 Ratings)

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Merlin J. Hamer, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Wright Medical Technology, Inc.	$1,351 FOOTANDANKLE $1,210	Biologics $97	Foot and Ankle $32	LATITUDE AND LATITUDE EV $13
Skeletal Dynamics LLC	$500 Implate $500
Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	$263 XIAFLEX $263
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.	$142 Trauma $113	Biomet Orthopak $17	Biologics $13
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.	$134 XIAFLEX $134
Other	$469 Aptus $125	LINQ II $60	SYNVISC-ONE $57	AxoGuard Nerve Connector $38	Prolia $33	Other $155

**Types of Payments**
Food and Beverage	$1,246
Travel and Lodging	$982
Education	$600
Royalty or License	$32

Biography

Dr. Merlin Hamer specializes in hand surgery and orthopedics/orthopedic surgery and practices in La Jolla, CA and San Diego, CA. On average, patients gave him a rating of 5.0 stars (out of 5). Areas of expertise for Dr. Hamer include hand surgery procedures and orthopedic surgery. Dr. Hamer's professional affiliations include Scripps Clinic and Scripps Green Hospital. He welcomes new patients at his office inSan Diego, CA as reported by Doctor.com. After completing medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine, he performed his residency at a hospital affiliated with the University of Connecticut.