Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Clifford Kitten, M.D.

Thoracic Surgery · Shenandoah, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
118 SHENANDOAH DR, Shenandoah, TX 77381
2815834000
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1396730826 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. Kitten 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. Kitten? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Kitten

Dr. Clifford Kitten is a thoracic surgery specialist in Shenandoah, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kitten performed 176 Medicare services across 159 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kitten received a total of $12,188 from 31 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 144 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Kitten is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ Top 44% volume in TX $12,188 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
176
Medicare services
Top 44% in TX for thoracic surgery
159
Unique beneficiaries
$186
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~9 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, low complexity 45 $38 $115
Initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes 43 $60 $296
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 26 $135 $483
Harvest of vein using an endoscope 17 $12 $81
Implantation of biologic implant to soft tissue 16 $174 $1,067
Coronary artery bypass using artery graft, 1 graft 16 $1,292 $8,947
Exclusion of appendage of left upper chamber of heart performed during other procedure on chest 13 $98 $636
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.
9.1% high complexity
0.0% medium
90.9% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$12,188
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,741/year across 7 years
Top 31% in TX for thoracic surgery
31
Companies
144
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.

Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$12,188 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,489
2023
$2,140
2022
$2,590
2021
$1,294
2020
$299
2019
$1,447
2018
$1,930

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$1,929
Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
$1,259
ABIOMED
$1,207
Cook Medical LLC
$897
ATRICURE, INC.
$832
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$828
AtriCure, Inc.
$756
Abbott Laboratories
$625
Baxter Healthcare
$587
Silk Road Medical, Inc.
$340
Medtronic, Inc.
$339
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$332
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$280
Boston Scientific Corporation
$266
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$249
Medinc of Texas
$159
Bone Support Inc.
$153
Inari Medical, Inc.
$123
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$122
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$122
Ethicon US, LLC
$120
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$115
Biosense Webster, Inc.
$112
Avanos Medical
$110
Corcym Inc
$92
LSI SOLUTIONS INC
$77
Wound Management Technologies, Inc
$62
Davol Inc.
$34
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$22
LeMaitre Vascular, Inc.
$21
Baylis Medical Technologies Inc.
$18
Top 3 companies account for 36.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACC2 CARDIAC CRYOSURGICAL SYSTEM · ALPHAVAC · ANGIOVAC · ARISTA AH FLEXITIP · ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION · ATRICURE CRYOICE CRYOSPHERE CRYOABLATION SYSTEM · ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · AtriCure AtriClip LAA Exclusion System · Avalus · CERAMENTBONE VOID FILLER · CONFIRM RX · COOK · COOK MEDICAL AAA · COOK MEDICAL THORACIC · COR KNOT · COR-KNOT · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · CT THROMBECTOMY SYSTEM KIT · Carto 3 System · CellerateRx · Cook Medical AAA · Cook Medical AFEN · ECM · ECM Patch · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · ELUVIA · ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYS · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · EVARREST · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Epi-Sense Guided Coagulation System with VisiTrax · FLOSEAL · GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with Heparin · GORE VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endo · HeartWare HVAD · INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE · Impella · JOT DX · MATRIXMIDFACE · Miami Instruments Joseph Lamelas Knot Pusher · Models · NAVITOR · ON-Q PUMP AND ACCESSORIES · OSTENE · PATCH · PERCEVAL · PERCLOT · PLEDGET AND INTRACARDIAC · PREVELEAK · Perceval · Pouch · Progel · STRATAFIX · SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · TYKE · VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with PROPATEN Bioactive Surface · VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endoprosthesis · VISTASEAL
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 →

Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $6,925 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Shenandoah?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Shenandoah area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
13
Per 100K population
2.0
County median income
$97,266
Nearest hospital
ST LUKE'S THE WOODLANDS HOSPITAL
3.9 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 measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Kitten is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 20 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Kitten experienced with hospital follow-up visit, low complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Kitten performed 45 hospital follow-up visit, low 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. Kitten receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Kitten received a total of $12,188 from 31 companies across 144 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. Kitten's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Shenandoah?
Dr. Kitten's average Medicare payment per service is $186. 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. Kitten) 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 →

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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. The Transparency Score measures 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 →