Timothy Kuwada, MD
Surgery · Charlotte, NCNPI 1114954591
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (56.3%), consulting fees and food and beverage — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 9 manufacturers reported payments, led by W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. at 41.0% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $26,107 and has fallen 93.2% since, to $1,785 in 2025. Among surgery clinicians in NC 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 237 payments — averaging $291.64 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.$28K
- Davol Inc.$25K
- Covidien LP$12K
- Johnson & Johnson$2K
- Teleflex LLC$723
- Intuitive Surgical$143
- plus $216 from 3 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$14,88022%
- Speaking & faculty fees$38,88256%
- Travel & lodging$5,5758%
- Food & beverage$9,78114%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. | 91 | $28,351 |
| Davol Inc. | 52 | $25,172 |
| Covidien LP | 19 | $12,395 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 61 | $2,118 |
| Teleflex LLC | 7 | $723 |
| Intuitive Surgical | 3 | $143 |
| Aroa Biosurgery Incorporated | 1 | $101 |
| Medtronic | 2 | $83 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $32 |
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.
- GORE BIO-A Tissue Reinforcement$13,259
- SEAMGUARD Staple Line Reinforcement$12,159
- GORE ENFORM Preperitoneal Biomaterial$12,017
- GORE SYNECOR Biomaterial$12,017
- SEAMGUARD Bioabsorbable Staple Line Reinforcement$10,722
- VENTRALIGHT$9,000
- PHASIX$4,879
- Phasix Mesh$936
- BIO-A Tissue Reinforcement$595
- TITAN SGS BAILOUT CHUCK$483
- SEAMGUARD$352
- GORE SEAMGUARD Bioabsorbable Staple Line Reinforce$344
- Balloon Sheath with Dilator$242
- ECHELON ENDOPATH$210
- SYNECOR Biomaterial$130
- Da Vinci Surgical System$128
- Enseal X1$118
- ProGrip$107
- Echelon Powered Circular$100
- VISTASEAL$100
How this compares
$69,118 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 970 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Celecoxib | 11 | $138 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other surgery in Charlotte
- Brant HenifordCharlotte$831K
- Vedra AugensteinCharlotte$789K
- John MartinieCharlotte$712K
- David IannittiCharlotte$360K
- Gregory StanleyCharlotte$304K
- Erin BakerCharlotte$221K
- John GreenCharlotte$202K
- Bradley ThomasCharlotte$162K
- Keith GersinCharlotte$80K
- Dimitrios StefanidisCharlotte$68K
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.