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Home > NC Providers > Spine Surgeons

Dr. William J. Richardson, MD

Accepting New Patients

(585 Ratings)

Specializes in: Spine Surgery and Orthopedics/Orthopedic Surgery

Eastern Virginia Medical School (1977)

40 Duke Medicine Circle
Durham, NC 27710

(919) 613-0444

Dr. William J. Richardson, MD is a spine surgeon in Durham, NC specializing in spine surgery and orthopedics/orthopedic surgery. He graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1977 and has 49 years of experience. Dr. William J. Richardson, MD is affiliated with Duke Health and DUKE HEALTH INTEGRATED PRACTICE INC.

Office Locations

Duke Health

40 Duke Medicine Circle
Durham, NC 27710

(919) 613-0444

open_in_new

4101 N Roxboro Street
Durham, NC 27704

open_in_new

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2012 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2012 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery), minimally invasive procedures and nerve procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	58
decompression surgery	11
doctor visit	589
minimally invasive procedures	13
neck surgery	11
nerve procedures	11
spinal procedures	105

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2013 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2013 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery) and minimally invasive procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	33
doctor visit	574
minimally invasive procedures	13
spinal procedures	84

2013 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	149
Female	272

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	378
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	207
From 75 to 84	122
85 and over	18
Less than 65	74

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2013

Hypertension	67
High Cholesterol	55
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	31
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	15
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	25
Dementia	5
Cancer	9

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2014 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2014 were spinal procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

doctor visit	503
spinal procedures	31

2014 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	134
Female	250

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	342
Black	28
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	186
From 75 to 84	113
85 and over	14
Less than 65	71

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2014

Hypertension	67
High Cholesterol	55
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	29
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	16
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	7
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	29
Dementia	3
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2015 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2015 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery), nerve procedures and decompression surgery.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	40
decompression surgery	11
doctor visit	453
neck surgery	11
nerve procedures	11
spinal procedures	89

2015 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	242
Female	480

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	640
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	368
From 75 to 84	182
85 and over	30
Less than 65	142

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2015

Hypertension	66
High Cholesterol	54
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	17
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	11
Diabetes	29
Dementia	5
Cancer	9

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2016 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2016 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery), nerve procedures and decompression surgery.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	39
decompression surgery	11
doctor visit	583
neck surgery	11
nerve procedures	11
spinal procedures	90

2016 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	143
Female	268

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	366
Black	32
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	219
From 75 to 84	107
85 and over	15
Less than 65	70

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2016

Hypertension	68
High Cholesterol	54
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	30
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	15
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	25
Dementia	8
Cancer	8

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2017 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2017 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	20
doctor visit	518
spinal procedures	52

2017 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	119
Female	269

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	346
Black	31
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	202
From 75 to 84	114
85 and over	18
Less than 65	54

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2017

Hypertension	71
High Cholesterol	46
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	35
Chronic Kidney Disease	25
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	7
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	25
Dementia	8
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2018 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2018 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	18
doctor visit	459
spinal procedures	47

2018 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	107
Female	211

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	275
Black	28
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	158
From 75 to 84	107
85 and over	17
Less than 65	36

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2018

Hypertension	70
High Cholesterol	62
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	32
Depression	31
Chronic Kidney Disease	29
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	16
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	14
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	11
Diabetes	28
Dementia	8
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2019 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2019 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	14
doctor visit	458
spinal procedures	31

2019 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	109
Female	192

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	259
Black	25
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	147
From 75 to 84	108
85 and over	18
Less than 65	28

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2019

Hypertension	71
High Cholesterol	65
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	34
Depression	35
Chronic Kidney Disease	31
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	28
Dementia	11
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2020 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2020 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	20
doctor visit	319
spinal procedures	52

2020 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	98
Female	146

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	204
Black	21
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	114
From 75 to 84	99
85 and over	12
Less than 65	19

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2020

Hypertension	70
High Cholesterol	62
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	36
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	33
Asthma	12
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	6
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	27
Dementia	12
Cancer	12

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2021 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2021 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	17
doctor visit	376
spinal procedures	36

2021 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	116
Female	147

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	230
Black	17
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	126
From 75 to 84	94
85 and over	16
Less than 65	27

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2021

Hypertension	70
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	6
Ischemic Heart Disease	37
Depression	35
Chronic Kidney Disease	32
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	30
Dementia	14
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2022 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC during 2022 were spinal procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

doctor visit	366
spinal procedures	13

2022 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	114
Female	146

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	224
Black	25
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	116
From 75 to 84	107
85 and over	16
Less than 65	21

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD in 2022

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	8
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	31
Chronic Kidney Disease	27
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	20
Atrial Fibrilation	17
Heart Failure	13
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	17
Diabetes	28
Dementia	5
Cancer	13

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2012 - 2022

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. William J. Richardson, MD treated as a spine surgeon in Durham, NC were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery), minimally invasive procedures and nerve procedures.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	28
decompression surgery	11
doctor visit	472
minimally invasive procedures	13
neck surgery	11
nerve procedures	11
spinal procedures	57

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2012 - 2022

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. William J. Richardson, MD.

**Gender**
Male	121
Female	216

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	18
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	296
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	0

**Age**
75 to 84	104
85 and over	15
Less than 65	49
65 to 74	167

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

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

Hypertension	63
High Cholesterol	54
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	28
Depression	29
Chronic Kidney Disease	22
Asthma	10
Osteoporosis	13
Heart Failure	10
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	24
Atrial Fibrillation	8
Dementia	7
Cancer	9

Education & Training

Dr. William J. Richardson, MD graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1977. He completed residency at Duke University Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery and has a state license in North Carolina.

Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School (1977)

Residency: Duke University Medical Center (1986)

Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery

Licensed In: North Carolina

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. William J. Richardson, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Duke Health

DUKE HEALTH INTEGRATED PRACTICE INC

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Dr. William J. Richardson, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: MedCost, Aetna Traditional Choice, Aetna Medicare PPO, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, CIGNA Open Access Plus, WellCare, Medicare Part B, AmeriHealth, Medicare Advantage, AARP, CIGNA Open Access, United Healthcare PPO, United Healthcare POS, United Healthcare HMO, Aetna, Aetna Workers' Compensation, TRICARE Prime, Aetna Open Choice PPO, TRICARE Prime Remote, United Healthcare, Medicare, Medicaid, Humana, Cigna, TRICARE, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Aetna Managed Choice POS, Aetna HMO, Gateway Health Alliance, Alliance Health (*Beginning January 2026), *Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan., Duke Employee Plans, Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA), *Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan., Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS), Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II, Duke Advantage (*Beginning January 2026), Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO), Blue Advantage (*Available in select counties only), Duke Options (*Beginning January 2026), Duke Basic, Duke USA (*Beginning January 2026), Ambetter, Experience Health, Aetna Select HMO, Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan, Blue Select, Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*, Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO, Vaya Health (*Beginning January 2026), Healthy Blue, Trillium (*Beginning January 2026), Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option, All Savers Fully Insured, Blue Value (*Duke Health Lake Norman and Kernodle Clinics only), First Medicare Direct, Carolina Complete Health, Healthgram, All Savers Alternate Funding, Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP), Aetna/CVS Health, Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice, Partners (*Beginning January 2026), Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan, Duke Select, Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice, NC State Employees Health Plan, Ambetter of North Carolina and United Medical Resources (UMR).

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Dr. William J. Richardson, MD accepts the following insurance providers:

MedCost

Aetna Traditional Choice

Aetna Medicare PPO

BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina

CIGNA Open Access Plus

WellCare

Medicare Part B

AmeriHealth

Medicare Advantage

AARP

CIGNA Open Access

United Healthcare PPO

United Healthcare POS

United Healthcare HMO

Aetna

Aetna Workers' Compensation

TRICARE Prime

Aetna Open Choice PPO

TRICARE Prime Remote

United Healthcare

Medicare

Medicaid

Humana

Cigna

TRICARE

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Aetna Managed Choice POS

Aetna HMO

Gateway Health Alliance

Alliance Health (*Beginning January 2026)

*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.

Duke Employee Plans

Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)

*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.

Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)

Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II

Duke Advantage (*Beginning January 2026)

Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)

Blue Advantage (*Available in select counties only)

Duke Options (*Beginning January 2026)

Duke Basic

Duke USA (*Beginning January 2026)

Ambetter

Experience Health

Aetna Select HMO

Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan

Blue Select

Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*

Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO

Vaya Health (*Beginning January 2026)

Healthy Blue

Trillium (*Beginning January 2026)

Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option

All Savers Fully Insured

Blue Value (*Duke Health Lake Norman and Kernodle Clinics only)

First Medicare Direct

Carolina Complete Health

Healthgram

All Savers Alternate Funding

Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)

Aetna/CVS Health

Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice

Partners (*Beginning January 2026)

Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan

Duke Select

Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice

NC State Employees Health Plan

Ambetter of North Carolina

United Medical Resources (UMR)

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. William J. Richardson, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.72 out of 5 stars based on 585 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. William J. Richardson, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in Durham, NC.

4.72

Overall Rating

(585 Ratings)

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General Payments

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

**Payments by Company**
Stryker Corporation	$47,286 Airo $28,893	AIRO TRUCT $8,039	Mantis $4,250	New Product Development $1,485	ES2 $137	Other $4,484
Brainlab, Inc.	$36,810 Surgical planning and navigation radiation treatment planning and positioning $19,442	Kick, Airo, Curve, Buzz, Node, Exact Trac, Novalis, TramaCad, Elements $10,779	Airo $267	Image Guided Surgical Device $151	$6,171
Pfizer Inc.	$19,986 NonCovered Product $1,028	$18,958
BIOVENTUS LLC	$9,849 OsteoAMP $1,225	Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System $87	BoneScalpel $76	$8,461
Orthofix International N.V.	$8,666 Spine Fixation $8,549	Unspecified-Unspecified $91	Orthopedics-External Fixation $26
Other	$10,658 Spine $3,633	Excelsius - GPS $2,097	Cervical $554	UNiD $420	MazorX - Renaissance $222	Other $3,732

**Types of Payments**
Consulting Fee	$84,675
Travel and Lodging	$15,296
Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program	$9,561
Education	$8,498
Food and Beverage	$8,325
Other	$6,900

Research Payments

Dr. William J. Richardson, MD has received 33 research payments totaling $88,205.

Biography

Dr. William Richardson is a specialist in spine surgery and orthopedics/orthopedic surgery in Durham, NC. Dr. Richardson's education and training includes medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School and residency at Duke University Medical Center. He has received a 4.5 out of 5 star rating by his patients. He can accept Blue California, CIGNA Plans, and TRICARE, as well as other insurance carriers. Dr. Richardson is affiliated with Duke Health. According to Duke Health, he is currently accepting new patients at his office in Durham, NC.