Larry Watts, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) · Charlotte, NCNPI 1508979568
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
10 manufacturers reported payments, led by Medtronic at 43.5% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2024 at $2,900 and has fallen 76.8% since, to $674 in 2025.
Across 84 payments — averaging $87.10 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Medtronic$3K
- Edwards Lifesciences$3K
- Transmedics, Inc.$522
- Abbott$343
- Abiomed$285
- Paragonix Technologies, Inc.$257
- plus $134 from 4 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$3,86653%
- Food & beverage$3,45147%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 44 | $3,184 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 20 | $2,591 |
| Transmedics, Inc. | 1 | $522 |
| Abbott | 8 | $343 |
| Abiomed | 4 | $285 |
| Paragonix Technologies, Inc. | 2 | $257 |
| LSI Solutions Inc | 2 | $49 |
| Peerless Surgical Inc. | 1 | $44 |
| Lemaitre Vascular, Inc. | 1 | $24 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 1 | $17 |
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.
- MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve$1,551
- Mosaic$1,524
- Avalus$938
- ORGAN CARE SYSTEM$522
- Paragonix SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System$357
- Impella$249
- LUNGguard$238
- Sherpacool$138
- Shipper$138
- Canister$138
- Simulus$129
- HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device$125
How this compares
$7,317 in reported general payments places this provider in the 55th percentile of 132 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in North Carolina.
See all thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular 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.
Other thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) in Charlotte
- Eric SkipperCharlotte$132K
- Kevin LobdellCharlotte$76K
- Tom TheruvathCharlotte$74K
- Jeffrey HagenCharlotte$69K
- Jeko MadjarovCharlotte$47K
- Jonathan KrautCharlotte$34K
- Philip SeibelCharlotte$28K
- John FrederickCharlotte$14K
- Timothy BrandCharlotte$13K
- Bradley LenoirCharlotte$13K
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.