Procedure Volume Patient Data Patient Conditions Reviews General Payments Back to Top

Home > CA Providers > Spine Surgeons

Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD

Accepting New Patients

(5 Ratings)

Specializes in: Spine Surgery and Orthopedics/Orthopedic Surgery

Harvard Medical School (1996)

6719 Alvarado Road Suite 304
San Diego, CA 92120

(619) 344-6918

Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD is a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA specializing in spine surgery and orthopedics/orthopedic surgery. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1996 and has 30 years of experience. Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD is affiliated with Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and Scripps Health.

Office Locations

Scripps Health

6719 Alvarado Road Suite 304
San Diego, CA 92120

(619) 344-6918

open_in_new

In The News

“It is already being used by Dr. Choll W. Kim, an expert in minimally-invasive lateral spine surgery at The Spine Institute of San Diego.”—"Acton co. introduces surgical rotation system", Worcester Business Journal, January 2017

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2012 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2012 were spinal procedures, nerve procedures, decompression surgery and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	30
decompression surgery	42
doctor visit	583
minimally invasive procedures	13
nerve procedures	42
revision surgery	14
spinal procedures	103

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2013 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2013 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery), nerve procedures and decompression surgery.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	34
decompression surgery	33
doctor visit	866
minimally invasive procedures	13
nerve procedures	33
revision surgery	17
spinal procedures	91

2013 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	152
Female	166

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	263
Black	0
Hispanic	20
Asian	17
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	157
From 75 to 84	107
85 and over	26
Less than 65	28

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2013

Hypertension	66
High Cholesterol	56
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	41
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	23
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	19
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. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2014 were spinal procedures, nerve procedures, decompression surgery and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	20
decompression surgery	32
doctor visit	861
nerve procedures	32
revision surgery	11
spinal procedures	63

2014 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	187
Female	209

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	319
Black	0
Hispanic	26
Asian	29
Other	11
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	198
From 75 to 84	123
85 and over	38
Less than 65	37

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2014

Hypertension	64
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	38
Depression	22
Chronic Kidney Disease	17
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	21
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	23
Dementia	6
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2015 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2015 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery), nerve procedures and decompression surgery.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	42
decompression surgery	41
doctor visit	863
minimally invasive procedures	22
nerve procedures	41
revision surgery	12
spinal procedures	126

2015 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	394
Female	384

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	626
Black	0
Hispanic	56
Asian	48
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	350
From 75 to 84	286
85 and over	70
Less than 65	72

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2015

Hypertension	66
High Cholesterol	63
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	37
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	21
Asthma	12
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	22
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	23
Dementia	5
Cancer	12

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2016 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2016 were spinal procedures, nerve procedures, decompression surgery and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	49
bone surgery	12
decompression surgery	52
doctor visit	472
minimally invasive procedures	18
nerve procedures	52
revision surgery	14
spinal procedures	136

2016 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	152
Female	152

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	241
Black	13
Hispanic	20
Asian	19
Other	11
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	147
From 75 to 84	102
85 and over	25
Less than 65	30

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2016

Hypertension	66
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	36
Depression	23
Chronic Kidney Disease	24
Asthma	19
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	10
Heart Failure	19
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	21
Dementia	7
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2017 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2017 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery), minimally invasive procedures and nerve procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	47
decompression surgery	17
doctor visit	374
minimally invasive procedures	19
nerve procedures	17
spinal procedures	99

2017 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	113
Female	130

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	195
Black	0
Hispanic	22
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	134
From 75 to 84	73
85 and over	16
Less than 65	20

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2017

Hypertension	63
High Cholesterol	46
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	33
Depression	25
Chronic Kidney Disease	24
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	5
Heart Failure	14
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	20
Dementia	9
Cancer	6

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2018 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2018 were spinal procedures, arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery) and minimally invasive procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	48
doctor visit	452
minimally invasive procedures	16
spinal procedures	85

2018 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	128
Female	130

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	212
Black	0
Hispanic	19
Asian	0
Other	12
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	138
From 75 to 84	88
85 and over	12
Less than 65	20

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2018

Hypertension	57
High Cholesterol	57
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	33
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	5
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	6
Heart Failure	16
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	23
Dementia	6
Cancer	7

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2019 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2019 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	32
doctor visit	581
spinal procedures	68

2019 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	150
Female	150

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	247
Black	0
Hispanic	18
Asian	0
Other	16
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	158
From 75 to 84	104
85 and over	19
Less than 65	19

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2019

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	29
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	24
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	17
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	11
Diabetes	21
Dementia	5
Cancer	9

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2020 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2020 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	36
doctor visit	812
spinal procedures	78

2020 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	144
Female	148

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	232
Black	0
Hispanic	27
Asian	0
Other	19
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	144
From 75 to 84	114
85 and over	16
Less than 65	18

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2020

Hypertension	63
High Cholesterol	56
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	36
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	29
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	12
Heart Failure	16
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	14
Diabetes	26
Dementia	5
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2021 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2021 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	35
doctor visit	1106
spinal procedures	70

2021 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	209
Female	201

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	351
Black	0
Hispanic	26
Asian	0
Other	17
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	205
From 75 to 84	150
85 and over	31
Less than 65	24

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2021

Hypertension	63
High Cholesterol	60
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	31
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	25
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	11
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	26
Dementia	5
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2022 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA during 2022 were spinal procedures and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	33
doctor visit	1086
spinal procedures	66

2022 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	224
Female	206

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	356
Black	0
Hispanic	29
Asian	0
Other	21
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	213
From 75 to 84	164
85 and over	28
Less than 65	25

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD in 2022

Hypertension	69
High Cholesterol	74
Stroke	6
Ischemic Heart Disease	26
Depression	25
Chronic Kidney Disease	23
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	20
Atrial Fibrilation	15
Heart Failure	16
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	27
Dementia	3
Cancer	13

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2012 - 2022

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated as a spine surgeon in San Diego, CA were spinal procedures, nerve procedures, decompression surgery and arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery).

arthrodesis (bone fusion surgery)	36
bone surgery	12
decompression surgery	36
doctor visit	732
minimally invasive procedures	16
nerve procedures	36
revision surgery	13
spinal procedures	89

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2012 - 2022

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

**Gender**
Male	168
Female	170

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	1
Asian / Pacific Islander	10
Non-Hispanic White	276
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	23
Other	9

**Age**
75 to 84	119
85 and over	25
Less than 65	26
65 to 74	167

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD From 2012 - 2022

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, ischemic heart disease and depression.

Hypertension	57
High Cholesterol	53
Stroke	2
Ischemic Heart Disease	30
Depression	22
Chronic Kidney Disease	21
Asthma	8
Osteoporosis	12
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	21
Atrial Fibrillation	9
Dementia	5
Cancer	8

Education & Training

Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1996. He completed residency at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Affiliated Hospitals. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery and has a state license in California.

Medical School: Harvard Medical School (1996)

Residency: University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Affiliated Hospitals (2001)

Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery (2016)

Licensed In: California

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla

Scripps Health

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD has a good overall rating with an average of 3.4 out of 5 stars based on 5 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD from all over the web to help you find the right in San Diego, CA.

3.4

Overall Rating

(5 Ratings)

Leave a Review

General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Globus Medical, Inc.	$3,500,274 Spine $807,868	SABLE $767,745	INTERCONTINENTAL $567,897	CREO $352,434	CALIBER $166,110	Other $838,221
Nutech Spine, Inc.	$122,212 SIfix $90,387	Si Fix $8,272	Sacroiliac Intra-articular Fusion Allograft 11 mm (SIFix) $2,549	$21,005
K2M, Inc.	$71,401 General K2M Product Discussion $37,282	SERENGETI $7,583	ACDF Retractor System $4,830	RAVINE Lateral Access System $3,746	K2M Cervical $2,288	Other $15,672
Stryker Corporation	$55,364 RAVINE Lateral Access System $30,291	RAVINE $9,162	CHESAPEAKE $6,245	THORACO-LUMBAR $3,495	New Product Development $1,893	Other $4,279
Spinal Elements, Inc.	$48,236 Karma $47,960	Savannah T $218	Medical Device $31	$26
Other	$124,440 Allen Advance Table $21,240	I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT $19,377	Spine $16,018	ATGAM $5,079	Streamline TL Spinal Fixation System $4,568	Other $58,159

**Types of Payments**
Royalty or License	$2,251,174
Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program	$892,144
Consulting Fee	$519,511
Travel and Lodging	$181,683
Food and Beverage	$70,306
Other	$7,109

Research Payments

Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD has received 14 research payments totaling $83,802.

Ownership and Interest Payments

This table describes ownership payments received by Dr. Choll Wan Kim, MD, PhD.

Spine View, Inc.	2013	$63,000.00	Physician Covered Recipient	Stock option provided for service per consulting agreement. Shares not fully vested. Option wrt vested shares not exercised. Values provided are intrinsic values based on total option value without regard to vesting schedule.
Spine View, Inc.	2014	$63,000.00	Physician Covered Recipient	Stock option provided for service per consulting agreement. Shares not fully vested. Option wrt vested shares not exercised. Values provided are intrinsic values based on total option value without regard to vesting schedule.
Spine View, Inc.	2015	$38,500.00	Physician Covered Recipient	Stock option provided for service per consulting agreement. Shares not fully vested. Option wrt vested shares not exercised. Values provided are intrinsic values based on total option value without regard to vesting schedule.
Spine View, Inc.	2016	$38,500.00	Physician Covered Recipient	Stock option provided for service per consulting agreement. Shares not fully vested. Option wrt vested shares not exercised. Values provided are intrinsic values based on total option value without regard to vesting schedule.
Safewire, LLC	2016	$20,000.00	Physician Covered Recipient	Conversion of stock options to unit ownership.
Safewire, LLC	2014	$0.01	Physician Covered Recipient	Option rights to acquire Common shares/units

Biography

Dr. Choll Kim is a specialist in spine surgery and orthopedics/orthopedic surgery. He works in San Diego, CA. He is professionally affiliated with Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. He obtained his medical school training at Harvard Medical School and performed his residency at a hospital affiliated with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Kim has received a 3.5 out of 5 star rating by his patients. According to Scripps Health, new patients are welcome to contact his office in San Diego, CA.