Paul Protomastro, MD
Hand Surgery · Norwalk, CTNPI 1215936992
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (46.6%), food and beverage and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 13 manufacturers reported payments, led by Arthrex at 58.3% of the total. 2025 is the largest year on record at $8,223, more than ten times the $605 reported in 2019. Among hand surgery clinicians in CT with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 84 payments — averaging $191.57 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Arthrex$9K
- Polaris Technology Solutions LLC$2K
- Exactech, Inc.$1K
- Gotham Surgical Solutions & Devices, Inc.$1K
- Johnson & Johnson$804
- Stryker$636
- plus $372 from 7 others
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$7,50047%
- Travel & lodging$2,90118%
- Food & beverage$4,46528%
- Education$1,2007%
- Other$260%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Arthrex | 32 | $9,378 |
| Polaris Technology Solutions LLC | 14 | $2,068 |
| Exactech, Inc. | 4 | $1,449 |
| Gotham Surgical Solutions & Devices, Inc. | 5 | $1,386 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 12 | $804 |
| Stryker | 8 | $636 |
| Zimmer Biomet | 1 | $117 |
| Smith+Nephew | 2 | $114 |
| Cerapedics Inc. | 2 | $55 |
| DJO, LLC | 1 | $29 |
| Olympus America Inc. | 1 | $26 |
| Bioventus LLC | 1 | $19 |
| Vericel Corporation | 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.
- EQUINOXE$1,397
- HEALIX KNOTLESS PEEK$257
- VAPR$257
- HEALIX$239
- PANGEA$150
- PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS$141
- MOTIONSENSE DIGITAL GONIOMETER$133
- TRUESPAN$122
- VA-LCP PLATES & SCREWS$122
- ATTUNE$122
- GLOBAL$117
- RELIGN$117
- RIGIDLOOP$111
- FMS$111
How this compares
$16,092 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 54 hand surgery providers in Connecticut.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Meloxicam | 152 | $423 |
| Methylprednisolone | 47 | $374 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 99 | $369 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 74 | $307 |
| Baclofen | 31 | $134 |
| Prednisone | 29 | $122 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 13 | $102 |
| Ondansetron OdtOndansetron | 11 | $69 |
| Sulfamethoxazole-TrimethoprimSulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim | 15 | $54 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other hand surgery in Norwalk
- Michael SoojianNorwalk$600
- Michael RedlerTrumbull$763K
- Richard BernsteinHamden$437K
- Lisa LattanzaNew Haven$156K
- Kenneth DonohueNew Haven$41K
- Mark VitaleGreenwich$13K
- Erik CarlsonMiddlebury$13K
- Devon BandaGlastonbury$10K
- Douglas WischTorrington$9K
- Ryan NaujoksMiddletown$8K
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.