NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician NPI 1922035864 MD
Verify on CMS → Larry Shears, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 5,070 in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician, and covers specialty classification, practice address, and Medicare Part D prescribing data when reported. According to CMS, every field reflects the provider's official federal registration, see our methodology.
Federal data, no proprietary rating.
We show these CMS records as-is - no composite score, no star rating, no editorial opinion layered on top.
Prescribing volume
18
Medicare Part D claims · Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician avg: 128
MIPS score
96.2/100
▲ 13 pts above national avg 83.1 · Exceptional
Industry payments
$2.6K
56 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
What the federal data shows
Larry Shears, MD reported a CMS MIPS final score of 96.2/100 - above the 83.1 national average - and filed 18 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 96.2/100
- MIPS score · +13 vs avg
- 18
- Part D claims, 2023
- Likely
- board-certified (heuristic)
Every figure on this page comes straight from federal CMS records (NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments) - no proprietary rating or editorial opinion is applied.
Larry Shears, MD's MIPS score vs every scored U.S. clinician
CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023, the federal quality measure
96 Top 17% higher than 83% of 477,587 scored providers
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored providers. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) · 2023
Where Larry Shears, MD sits
This provider among thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) physician peers
Across the 820 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Larry Shears, MD writes more Part D claims than 13% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 80% - placing this provider in the lower-volume, high-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.
Part D claim volume vs MIPS quality, by specialty percentile
Each dot is one thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Larry Shears, MD. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Larry Shears, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting + 1 hospital affiliation - signals consistent with board-certified status. For verified board certification, see CertificationMatters.org (the official ABMS public lookup).
What does the federal data show about Larry Shears, MD?
High performer (top quartile)Primary specialty
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician
Medicare Part D claims
18 86% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
96.2/100 13.1 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in Tennessee
How Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician compares to other specialties among Tennessee providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Larry Shears, MD's 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 96.2/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician) - 96.2/100 vs national avg 83.1
How MIPS and board certification work
The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores providers 0–100 across four performance categories: Quality, Cost, Promoting Interoperability, and Improvement Activities, weighted under 42 CFR §414.1380. Reporting is voluntary for many small practices, so absence of a MIPS score is not a quality signal.
Board certification through an ABMS or AOA member board signals voluntary post-licensure examination plus continuous Maintenance of Certification cycles. Verify any individual provider's status through certificationmatters.org (ABMS) or osteopathic.org (AOA).
Larry Shears, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician provider holding MD credentials at 979 E 3RD ST, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, with a listed phone of (423) 778-5661. NPI 1922035864 was issued on 06/27/2006.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 18 prescription claims written by this provider, covering N/A Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $850 in drug spend. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 96.2/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 85.2), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 5,070 enrolled providers across 52 states and an average of 128 Part D claims per prescriber, so the context for interpreting these metrics differs meaningfully from a primary-care baseline.
Important: PlainDoctor is a directory of publicly available government data, not medical advice, a malpractice database, or a quality rating. Inclusion here does not imply a recommendation, and absence of complaints or sanctions on this page does not mean none exist, always verify credentials through the NPPES NPI Registry, your state medical board, and the ABMS or AOA before making healthcare decisions.
Practice Address
Provider Details
| NPI | 1922035864 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 06/27/2006 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
96.1922
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
85.2035
Quality
100
Promoting Interoperability
Reporting: Alternative Payment Model
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Larry Shears, MD bills Medicare from. Star ratings (1-5) are CMS Hospital Compare's "Hospital overall rating" - a composite of mortality, readmission, patient experience, safety, timely care, and efficient use of medical imaging measures. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Erlanger Health
Chattanooga, TN
Affiliations sourced from CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File; hospital ratings from CMS Hospital General Information dataset (cross-referenced by facility name + state).
Industry payments received (2024) - CMS Open Payments transparency data
The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act (part of the Affordable Care Act) requires drug and medical-device manufacturers + group purchasing organizations to publicly report payments and other transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals. The data below covers 2024 for Larry Shears, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$2.6K
Largest payer
Abbott Laboratories
Most common payment type
Food and Beverage
Industry payments are not necessarily indicators of bias, they include research funding, consulting fees for evidence-based work, royalties for inventions, food at conferences, and similar items. The disclosure exists for transparency. Read our methodology for how we interpret this data.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2023.
18
Total Claims
$850
Total Drug Cost
N/A
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 30
- Total Day Supply
- 776
- Generic Drug Cost
- $250
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 73.8 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.41
More Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician in TN →
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Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician Overview
How Larry Shears, MD fits within the Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician landscape nationally.
5,070
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician Providers in US
52
States with Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician
128
Avg Claims per Provider
Larry Shears, MD's 18 claims are below the specialty average of 128.
Nearby Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician Providers in Tennessee
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Tennessee, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Shears.
Before you book an appointment
Use this federal record as your verification checklist, not as a recommendation.
- Confirm the NPI record is current in the official CMS registry, providers update their own NPPES details, and moves can lag. Verify this NPI
- Check the active license and any disciplinary history with the Tennessee medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician peer on Medicare volume and prescribing patterns. Compare providers
Medicare Part D and MIPS figures describe practice patterns in federal programs only, they are not quality ratings, and PlainDoctor does not rate, rank, or recommend providers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Larry Shears, MD's specialty? ▼
Larry Shears, MD specializes in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician and practices in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Credentials: MD.
How much does Larry Shears, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Larry Shears, MD wrote 18 Medicare Part D claims totaling $850 in drug costs for N/A beneficiaries.
What is Larry Shears, MD's Medicare quality score? ▼
Larry Shears, MD has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 96.2/100 (Quality: 85.2). The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Larry Shears, MD located? ▼
Larry Shears, MD is located at 979 E 3RD ST, Chattanooga, TN, 37403. Phone: (423) 778-5661.
What is Larry Shears, MD's NPI number? ▼
Larry Shears, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1922035864, issued on 06/27/2006.
How many Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 5,070 Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician providers across 52 states in the US. The average Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician provider writes 128 Medicare Part D claims per year.
Does Larry Shears, MD accept Medicare? ▼
Larry Shears, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 18 Part D claims and N/A Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Larry Shears, MD's credentials? ▼
Larry Shears, MD's NPI is 1922035864 with credentials MD. You can verify this through the NPPES NPI Registry, check state medical board records, and confirm board certification through the ABMS or AOA.
Data Sources
View source datasets and methodology notes
- Provider Directory
- CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), download.cms.gov/nppes, updated monthly. Contains NPI, specialty, credentials, and practice location.
- Specialty Classification
- NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy (nucc.org), the industry standard for classifying provider specialties in Medicare and Medicaid billing.
- Prescribing Data
- CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File (2023). Includes claims, drug costs, beneficiaries, and opioid prescribing rates.
- Quality Performance
- CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) - 2023 performance year.
- Limitations
- Provider data is self-reported to CMS. Prescribing data reflects Medicare Part D only and does not include commercial insurance, Medicaid, or cash prescriptions. Claims below 11 beneficiaries are suppressed by CMS for privacy.
See our complete data methodology for details on how we collect and process government data.
Data as of April 2026 (NPPES) / 2023 (Medicare Part D). Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Disclaimer: Data from CMS NPPES and Medicare Part D. PlainDoctor does not rate or rank providers. Provider information is self-reported and may not be current. Always verify information directly with the provider. About · Methodology
Every figure on PlainDoctor is rendered directly from the federal CMS NPPES registry, Medicare Part D, MIPS, and Open Payments records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.