Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Eric Skipper, MD

Surgery · Charlotte, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
1237 HARDING PL, Charlotte, NC 28204
7043730212
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1972616175 verify on NPPES ↗
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 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. Skipper 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Skipper

Dr. Eric Skipper is a surgery specialist in Charlotte, NC, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Skipper performed 457 Medicare services across 277 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Skipper received a total of $126,672 from 22 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 362 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in 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. Skipper is Very 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.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ Top 18% volume in NC $126,672 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
457
Medicare services
Top 18% in NC for surgery
277
Unique beneficiaries
$167
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~24 Medicare services per year of practice

Top procedures by volume

Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.

Procedure Volume Avg. paid Avg. submitted
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
141 $93 $346
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 89 $164 $701
Evaluation of lower heart chamber assist device
Assessment of the function and status of a device that assists the lower chambers of the heart.
67 $31 $222
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service.
56 $62 $241
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)
An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
36 $135 $452
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery
A minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic heart valve using a catheter inserted through the skin and femoral artery.
32 $559 $8,491
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
24 $135 $659
Aortic valve replacement surgery
Surgical replacement of the aortic valve using a heart-lung machine to maintain blood circulation during the procedure.
12 $1,420 $14,215
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.
9.6% high complexity
0.0% medium
90.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$126,672
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $18,096/year across 7 years
Top 2% in NC for surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
22
Companies
362
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
$91,493 (72.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$26,383 (20.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$8,796 (6.9%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$14,258
2023
$15,031
2022
$16,626
2021
$10,396
2020
$25,221
2019
$37,198
2018
$7,942

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
TransMedics, Inc.
$3,466
Boston Scientific Corporation
$2,812
Abbott Laboratories
$2,274
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$2,211
Teleflex LLC
$1,900
Peerless Surgical Inc.
$589
Arthrex, Inc.
$406
ABIOMED
$339
Medtronic, Inc.
$186
Ethicon US, LLC
$33
Artivion, Inc.
$24
LSI SOLUTIONS INC
$19
Top 3 companies account for 60.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$65,097
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$30,668
Boston Scientific Corporation
$12,058
TransMedics, Inc.
$3,905
Teleflex LLC
$3,800
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$3,000
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$2,149
ABIOMED
$1,845
TRANSMEDICS, INC.
$1,187
Peerless Surgical Inc.
$589
DAVOL INC.
$532
Arthrex, Inc.
$406
Medtronic, Inc.
$281
Paragonix Technologies, Inc.
$257
Artivion, Inc.
$240
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company
$205
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$157
Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
$145
Ethicon US, LLC
$50
AtriCure, Inc.
$46
LSI SOLUTIONS INC
$45
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 85.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
2ND GEN CENTRIMAG PRIMARY CONSOLE · AMPLATZER Occluders · ARISTA AH · AVALUS · AtriCure AtriClip LAA Exclusion System · Avalus · Bioprosthetic Mitral Valve · CG Future · COR KNOT · COR-KNOT · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · CRYOVALVE SG PULMONARY HUMAN HEART VALVE · CentriMag · Circulatory Support · CoreValve Evolut · ECHELON ENDOPATH · ECM Patch · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · EVOQUE · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Endurant · ForeSight Elite tissue oximetry system · GENERAL STRUCTURAL HEART · GENERAL STRUCTURAL HEART · GENERAL - THERAPIES · GIAPREZA · General - EP · General - Kidney Stone Disease · General - Structural Heart · HEARTMATE TOUCH · HeartMate · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev · HeartMate Touch · HeartWare HVAD · INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE · INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve · Impella · LIGASURE · LOTUS Edge · MITRACLIP · MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve · Mitra Clip system · ON-X AORTIC HEART VALVE WITH CONFORM-X SEWING RING AND EXTENDED HOLDER · OPTIMIZER · ORGAN CARE SYSTEM · Organ Care System · PLEUR-EVAC · PROGEL · PROLENE · Paragonix SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System · Penditure · Pouch · QuikClot · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · SYNERGY · Sherpacool · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Tendyne Mitral Valve System · Valiant Captivia · WATCHMAN · Walter
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 (72%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for surgery in NC.

Looking for a surgery specialist in Charlotte?
Compare surgerists in the Charlotte area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Surgerists within 10 mi
236
Per 100K population
20.9
County median income
$83,765
Nearest hospital
CAROLINAS MEDICAL CENTER/BEHAV HEALTH
1.8 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES Weekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOS Monthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not public N/A

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

Summary

Dr. Skipper is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in NC), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 2% of NC peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Skipper experienced with hospital follow-up visit, high complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Skipper performed 141 hospital follow-up visit, high complexity services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. Skipper receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Skipper received a total of $126,672 from 22 companies across 362 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.
How do Dr. Skipper's costs compare to other surgerists in Charlotte?
Dr. Skipper's average Medicare payment per service is $167. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. Skipper) 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 →
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 ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, 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.

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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 →