Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Thomas Damato, M.D.

Surgery · Waco, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
100 HILLCREST MEDICAL BLVD, Waco, TX 76712
2542022000
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1073544235 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. Damato 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. Damato? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Damato

Dr. Thomas Damato is a surgery in Waco, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Damato performed 13 Medicare services across 12 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Damato received a total of $10,906 from 22 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 320 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in 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. Damato 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.

✓ 19 years in practice▲ 13 Medicare services$ $10,906 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
13
Medicare services
Bottom 2% in TX for surgery
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
12
Unique beneficiaries
$63
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~1 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes13$63$197
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$10,906
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,558/year across 7 years
Top 25% in TX for surgery
22
Companies
320
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
$10,906 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$726
2023
$627
2022
$1,083
2021
$478
2020
$1,251
2019
$4,021
2018
$2,720

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$3,910
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$3,418
ABIOMED
$886
Medtronic, Inc.
$572
AtriCure, Inc.
$347
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$328
Bolton Medical Inc
$300
Maquet Cardiovascular U.S. Sales, L.L.C.
$201
Getinge USA Sales, LLC
$170
Ethicon US, LLC
$148
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$119
ATRICURE, INC.
$117
KCI USA, Inc.
$92
Pinnacle Biologics, Inc
$84
Indivior Inc.
$57
Baxter Healthcare
$50
KLS-Martin L.P.
$25
Cook Medical LLC
$22
Boston Scientific Corporation
$18
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$15
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$15
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 75.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
3M Skin and Nasal Antiseptic · ATRICURE CRYOSURGICAL SYSTEM · AVALUS · Acrobat-I Stabilizer · CG Future · CLEVIPREX · COOK MEDICAL STENTS · Conformable TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · CoreValve Evolut · DERMABOND · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · ENDURANT IIS · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · EXCLUDER Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis with Active Control · EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis · Echelon Circular · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Endurant · FARXIGA · GORE EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · Grafts · HeartString III Proximal Seal · INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE · Impella · LifeVest · MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve · MOSAIC · Mosaic · Oasis Drains · PENDITURE · PERSERIS · Photofrin · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · SOMATOM X.cite · STRATAFIX · SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · VASOVIEW · VIABAHN Endoprosthesis · Vasoview Hemopro 2 · WALLFLEX
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 $83,890 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a surgery in Waco?
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Geographic Context

Surgerys within 10 mi
18
Per 100K population
6.8
County median income
$63,888
Nearest hospital
ASCENSION PROVIDENCE
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/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. Damato is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 years of practice experience.

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. Damato experienced with initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Damato performed 13 initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes 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. Damato receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Damato received a total of $10,906 from 22 companies across 320 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. Damato's costs compare to other surgerys in Waco?
Dr. Damato's average Medicare payment per service is $63. 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. Damato) 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. 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 →