Timothy Lee, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) · Laguna Hills, CANPI 1881988962
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 32 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 10 manufacturers reported payments, led by Atricure, Inc. at 49.0% of the total. That places this record below the midpoint for thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) clinicians in CA, where the typical reported total is $4,430.
Across 32 payments — averaging $55.10 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Atricure, Inc.$864
- Edwards Lifesciences$378
- Medtronic$233
- Baxter Healthcare$104
- Getinge USA Sales, LLC$81
- Abbott$40
- plus $63 from 4 others
Across 6 payments — averaging $21,749 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Atricure, Inc.$130K
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,763100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Atricure, Inc. | 14 | $864 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 5 | $378 |
| Medtronic | 4 | $233 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $104 |
| Getinge USA Sales, LLC | 3 | $81 |
| Abbott | 1 | $40 |
| Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Corporation | 1 | $19 |
| Bolton Medical Inc | 1 | $17 |
| Owens & Minor | 1 | $14 |
| Artivion, 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.
How this compares
$1,763 in reported general payments places this provider in the 35th percentile of 546 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in California.
See all thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in California →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mupirocin | 71 | $421 |
| Gabapentin | 11 | $121 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) in Laguna Hills
- Asad ShahLaguna Hills$192K
- Ledford PowellLaguna Hills$151K
- Thomas FogartyPortola Valley$3.7M
- Steven GundryPalm Springs$1.6M
- Armin KiankhooySaint Helena$941K
- Ara KlijianMurrieta$916K
- Gregory FontanaThousand Oaks$875K
- Gansevoort DunningtonSaint Helena$764K
- Wilson TsaiWalnut Creek$680K
- Fernando FleischmanLos Angeles$608K
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.