Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Paul Chai, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Atlanta, GA
Consulting-driven
1405 CLIFTON RD NE, Atlanta, GA 30322
4047856330
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1083688196 verify on NPPES ↗
High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 3 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating. This page presents federal public records about Dr. Chai from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
Are you Dr. Chai? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Chai

Dr. Paul Chai is a thoracic surgery specialist in Atlanta, GA, with 20 years of NPI registration.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Chai received a total of $23,297 from 6 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 36 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Chai is High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 20 years in practice $23,297 industry payments

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2023 ↗
$23,297
Total received (2018-2023)
Avg $4,659/year across 5 years
Top 15% in GA for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
6
Companies
36
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment profile

Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$21,311 (91.5%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$1,986 (8.5%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2023
$491
2022
$20,875
2021
$16
2019
$551
2018
$1,364

Payments by company (2023)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$475
Abbott Laboratories
$16
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2023 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2023) ›
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$21,585
Abbott Laboratories
$1,357
CryoLife, Inc.
$298
Boston Scientific Corporation
$24
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$16
Artivion, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 99.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
CentriMag · EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve system · EPIC · INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve · On-X · PHOTOFIX DECELLULARIZED BOVINE PERICARDIUM · Trifecta GT Tissue Heart Valve · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →

The majority of payments (92%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Atlanta?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Atlanta area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse thoracic surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
78
Per 100K population
10.2
County median income
$77,683
Nearest hospital
EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry ✓ NPPES Weekly updates
Medicare Enrollment ✓ PECOS Monthly updates
Practice Data — No data N/A
Industry Payments ✓ Open Payments CY 2023
Disciplinary History — Not public N/A

This provider has data in 3 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Chai is a thoracic surgery specialist, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 15% of GA peers, with 20 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Dr. Chai receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Chai received a total of $23,297 from 6 companies across 36 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently High for Dr. Chai) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →

Explore related providers

Same specialty & city
Thoracic Surgerists in Atlanta
Browse thoracic surgerists in Atlanta ranked by procedure volume and transparency data.
Highest volume
Top Thoracic Surgerists in GA
Thoracic surgerists ranked by total Medicare services performed statewide.
Industry payments
Pharma Payments to Thoracic Surgerists in GA
Which GA thoracic surgerists receive the most from drug and device companies.
By company
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Edwards Lifesciences Corporation.
By company
Abbott Laboratories Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Abbott Laboratories.
By company
CryoLife, Inc. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from CryoLife, Inc.
About this page

All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.

This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. Data Coverage reflects data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

Data Disclaimer — Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Open Payments program, Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, and Provider Enrollment & Certification data (PECOS). Published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by CMS, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Data may contain errors as reported to CMS by providers and reporting entities. Payments from industry are legal and do not indicate wrongdoing. Medicare data reflects only patients aged 65+ or those with qualifying disabilities. For corrections, contact CMS directly. This information does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a healthcare provider. Procedure descriptions use plain language and do not reference CPT® codes, which are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Full methodology → · Report a data error → · Privacy policy →