Gaetano Paone, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) · Atlanta, GANPI 1275630741
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — consulting fees (40.2%), speaking fees and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. Edwards Lifesciences accounts for 98.7% of it on its own, with 5 other manufacturers making up the rest. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $62,548 and has fallen 87.4% since, to $7,884 in 2025. Among thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) clinicians in GA 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 208 payments — averaging $642.84 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Edwards Lifesciences$132K
- Medtronic$1K
- W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.$460
- Jenavalve Technology, Inc.$183
- Baxter Healthcare$43
- Shockwave Medical, Inc$29
Across 20 payments — averaging $2184.80 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Edwards Lifesciences$44K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$53,70540%
- Speaking & faculty fees$49,74237%
- Travel & lodging$26,74520%
- Food & beverage$3,5203%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards Lifesciences | 179 | $131,975 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 16 | $1,022 |
| W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. | 8 | $460 |
| Jenavalve Technology, Inc. | 1 | $183 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 3 | $43 |
| Shockwave Medical, Inc | 1 | $29 |
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
$133,712 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 144 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Georgia.
See all thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Georgia →
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.
Other thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) in Atlanta
- Manu SanchetiAtlanta$805K
- John PuskasAtlanta$332K
- Douglas MurphyAtlanta$254K
- Ezequiel MolinaAtlanta$215K
- Michael HalkosAtlanta$102K
- Allan PickensAtlanta$87K
- Bradley LeshnowerAtlanta$63K
- Kimberly HolstAtlanta$52K
- William KeelingAtlanta$49K
- Mark HelmersAtlanta$32K
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.