Kelly Esposito, MD
Hand Surgery · Wilmington, NCNPI 1285053082
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (52.5%), education and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 14 manufacturers reported payments, led by Smith+Nephew at 35.6% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $1,481 and has fallen 94.5% since, to $82 in 2025.
Across 30 payments — averaging $160.60 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Smith+Nephew$2K
- Southtech Orthopedics$1K
- Axogen$752
- Stryker$274
- Medtronic$191
- Exactech, Inc.$148
- plus $522 from 8 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$1,08823%
- Food & beverage$2,53053%
- Education$1,20025%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Smith+Nephew | 10 | $1,714 |
| Southtech Orthopedics | 2 | $1,216 |
| Axogen | 2 | $752 |
| Stryker | 5 | $274 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $191 |
| Exactech, Inc. | 1 | $148 |
| Integra Lifesciences Corporation | 1 | $140 |
| Arthrex | 1 | $113 |
| Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $111 |
| Access Pro Medical, LLC | 1 | $69 |
| Anika Therapeutics, Inc. | 2 | $42 |
| Endo USA, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $15 |
| Orthofix Medical, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
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.
- TITAN-SHOULDER$796
- AxoGuard Nerve Protector$752
- AxoGuard Nerve Connector$752
- TSS$578
- RSS$578
- DIVERGENCE-L$191
- VARIAX$175
- TWINFIX$150
- EQUINOXE$148
- TENOGLIDE$140
- DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS SOFT TISSUE ANCHORS$113
- XIAFLEX$111
- AETOS Shoulder System$104
How this compares
$4,818 in reported general payments places this provider in the 55th percentile of 79 hand surgery providers in North Carolina.
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.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Tramadol Hcl | 12 | $8 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other hand surgery in Wilmington
- Richard MooreWilmington$177K
- Richard BahnerWilmington$19K
- Christpher KliftoDurham$575K
- Raymond GastonCharlotte$505K
- Ryan GarciaCharlotte$381K
- Erica TaylorRaleigh$97K
- Tyler PidgeonMorrisville$50K
- John YanikAsheville$32K
- Zhongyu LiWinston Salem$29K
- Patricia WellbornRaleigh$26K
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.