Paul Weldner, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) · Lewiston, MENPI 1437160462
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — travel and lodging (53.2%), food and beverage and speaking fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 8 manufacturers reported payments, led by Medtronic at 33.5% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $4,996 and has fallen 89.5% since, to $523 in 2025.
Across 114 payments — averaging $101.98 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Medtronic$4K
- Edwards Lifesciences$3K
- Abbott$3K
- Abiomed$1K
- Atricure, Inc.$664
- Peerless Surgical Inc.$47
- plus $44 from 2 others
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$1,20010%
- Travel & lodging$6,19153%
- Food & beverage$4,23536%
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) | 37 | $3,894 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 13 | $2,921 |
| Abbott | 15 | $2,834 |
| Abiomed | 7 | $1,222 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 39 | $664 |
| Peerless Surgical Inc. | 1 | $47 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $29 |
| Haemonetics Corporation | 1 | $15 |
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.
- Mitra Clip system$2,591
- Simulus$2,394
- Impella$1,100
- MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve$374
- INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve$344
- Mosaic$322
- Avalus$266
- EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve system$247
- Penditure$163
How this compares
$11,626 in reported general payments places this provider in the 80th percentile of 22 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Maine.
See all thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Maine →
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 Lewiston
- Carmine FrumientoLewiston$18K
- John KlempererBangor$104K
- Syed QuadriScarborough$18K
- Scott BuchananPortland$12K
- Ansar HassanPortland$10K
- Darryl HoffmanBangor$9K
- Walter DeninoPortland$9K
- Cristian RosuPortland$9K
- David PantinoBangor$7K
- Robert KramerPortland$7K
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.