Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ramasamy Bakthavatsalam

Surgery · Seattle, WA
Practice pattern: Cardiac Surgery — Surgically focused practice
Low-engagement
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MEDICAL CTR, Seattle, WA 98195
2065984477
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1609951433 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. Bakthavatsalam 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. Bakthavatsalam

Dr. Ramasamy Bakthavatsalam is a surgery specialist in Seattle, WA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Bakthavatsalam performed 79 Medicare services across 71 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Bakthavatsalam received a total of $5,005 from 2 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 10 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. Bakthavatsalam 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 ▲ 79 Medicare services $5,005 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
79
Medicare services
Bottom 33% in WA for surgery
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
71
Unique beneficiaries
$646
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~4 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
Kidney transplant
Surgical procedure to place a healthy kidney from a donor into a patient whose kidneys have failed.
 24 $1,919 $9,407
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.
 23 $102 $310
Donor kidney preparation for transplantation
This procedure involves the preparation of a donor kidney for transplantation. It does not include the actual surgical removal or implantation of the organ.
 19 $81 $663
Donor kidney and vein preparation for transplantation
This procedure involves preparing a donor kidney and its associated veins for the purpose of transplantation into a recipient.
 13 $86 $652
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.
70.9% high complexity
0.0% medium
29.1% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$5,005
Total received (2023-2024)
Avg $2,502/year across 2 years
Top 32% in WA for surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
2
Companies
10
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
$5,005 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,079
2023
$2,926

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$2,079
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2023-2024) ›
TransMedics, Inc.
$2,926
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$2,079
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Da Vinci Surgical System · Organ Care 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 →

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

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

Surgerists within 10 mi
409
Per 100K population
18.1
County median income
$122,148
Nearest hospital
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MEDICAL CTR
0.0 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. Bakthavatsalam is a cardiac surgery specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Bakthavatsalam experienced with kidney transplant?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Bakthavatsalam performed 24 kidney transplant 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. Bakthavatsalam receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Bakthavatsalam received a total of $5,005 from 2 companies across 10 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. Bakthavatsalam's costs compare to other surgerists in Seattle?
Dr. Bakthavatsalam's average Medicare payment per service is $646. 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. Bakthavatsalam) 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. 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 →