NPPES file of Aug 9, 2026

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician in Tennessee

131 NPPES records list thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) physician with a practice address in Tennessee, 1.8 per 100,000 residents, the 21st highest rate of 51. Nashville and Knoxville have the most; each record links to the provider's NPI and the Tennessee license search. Page 2 of 3.

CMS NPPES registry, file of Aug 9, 2026; 2023 Census estimates · NUCC 208G00000X · method

Written with AI tools from the named public files; every figure is computed from those files (how it is made).

Nashville has the most, 47

  1. Nashville47
  2. Knoxville22
  3. Memphis17
  4. Chattanooga15
  5. Kingsport6

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician records in Tennessee

  1. Bryan Helsel, M.D.Johnson City, TN 376041891875399
  2. Robert Helsel, MDKnoxville, TN 379231215920830
  3. Fontaine HillBrentwood, TN 370271629257043
  4. Konrad Hoetzenecker, MDNashville, TN 372321316769722
  5. Aaron Hoffman, MDMurfreesboro, TN 371291902010788
  6. Darius Hollings, MDNashville, TN 372051194971945
  7. Ward Houck, M.D.Murfreesboro, TN 371291477535409
  8. Salik Jahania, MDChattanooga, TN 374211285796573
  9. Sean Jordan, MDKnoxville, TN 379201679835268
  10. Clayton Kaiser, M.D.Nashville, TN 372051003077728
  11. Alim Khandekar, M. D.Memphis, TN 381161407865322
  12. Thomas Kleisli, M.D.Memphis, TN 381191518195627
  13. Christopher Knott-Craig, MDMemphis, TN 381051922076272
  14. Eric Lambright, M.DNashville, TN 372321184657272
  15. Lifford Lancaster, M.D.Nashville, TN 372071639116379
  16. John Lea, M.D.Nashville, TN 372051821090051
  17. Petros Leinonen, M.D.Oak Ridge, TN 378301891765848
  18. Brian Lima, M.D.Nashville, TN 372321669649703
  19. Kimberly Linden, MDKnoxville, TN 379201205212230
  20. John Mack, MDKnoxville, TN 379201962495358
  21. Stephen Martin, MDChattanooga, TN 374041699762146
  22. Carlo Martinez Torres, MDKnoxville, TN 379231457535379
  23. William McAlexander, MDKnoxville, TN 379341073558524
  24. Brett Melnikoff, MDChattanooga, TN 374041053774208
  25. Walter Merrill, M.D.Nashville, TN 372321194792267
  26. William Messerschmidt, M.D.Bristol, TN 376201134115777
  27. Vanessa Miller, M.D.Chattanooga, TN 374041194189910
  28. Richard Morrison, MDChattanooga, TN 374211235127762
  29. John Murray, M.D.Knoxville, TN 379201730614736
  30. Christopher Mutrie, MDMemphis, TN 381201679757157
  31. Jonathan Nesbitt, M.D.Nashville, TN 372321669475927
  32. Duc Nguyen, MDNashville, TN 372321649284720
  33. Louis Ostrow, M.D.Memphis, TN 381381386714665
  34. Anthony Palazzo, MDJohnson City, TN 376041629030267
  35. Billy Parsons, MDCookeville, TN 385011568457828
  36. Chetan Pasrija, M.D.Nashville, TN 372321275949133
  37. Vijay Patil, M.D.Knoxville, TN 379161073619888
  38. Michael Petracek, M.D.Nashville, TN 372051972505105
  39. John Pinkard, MDHermitage, TN 370761841230810
  40. John Pirolo, M.D.Nashville, TN 372051487656609
  41. Timothy Powell, MDCookeville, TN 385011801890694
  42. Jeffrey Poynter, M.D.Chattanooga, TN 374031053578518
  43. Christian Probst, M.D.Knoxville, TN 379201023337136
  44. Eva Proctor, M.D.Germantown, TN 381381275758450
  45. Eric Quintana, MDNashville, TN 372321083146765
  46. Chandrashekhar Ramaiah, MDNashville, TN 372051144285099
  47. V Reddy, MDNashville, TN 372031487787974
  48. Matthew Richey, M.D.Chattanooga, TN 374041104243088
  49. Sigrid Ringenberg, MDNashville, TN 372321265812614
  50. Robert Ripley, MDNashville, TN 372321154477784

Source: CMS NPPES, primary taxonomy 208G00000X: records by practice city and the list of records, file of Aug 9, 2026.

Tennessee ranks 21 of 51 per resident

  1. Indiana2.0
  2. Wisconsin1.9
  3. Louisiana1.9
  4. Tennessee1.8
  5. South Carolina1.8
  6. Arkansas1.8
  7. 50 states and D.C.1.9

Source: CMS NPPES, primary taxonomy 208G00000X by practice state, file of Aug 9, 2026; records per 100,000 residents, 2023 Census estimates.

75.6% of these records appear in a Medicare file, against 76.2% nationally

A Medicare file here is Part D prescribing (2024), a MIPS score (2023), an Open Payments record (2024) or Medicare group billing (CMS Doctors and Clinicians). A record outside them may still see patients: these files cover Medicare only.

  1. Tennessee75.6%
  2. United States76.2%

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician records in Tennessee, measured

  • In a Medicare file99 of 131 · 75.6% here, 76.2% nationally
  • In the CMS Doctors and Clinicians file88 · 67.2% here, 63.5% nationally
  • Not updated in five years or more61 · 46.6% here, 54.0% nationally
  • Median graduation year1999 · the 88 records with a school on file

Source: CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026 (primary taxonomy 208G00000X); CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers 2024, MIPS 2023, Open Payments 2024 and Doctors and Clinicians, matched by NPI.

What the count covers

131 NPPES records list thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) physician (208G00000X) as their primary taxonomy with a practice address in Tennessee: 1.8 per 100,000 residents against 1.9 nationally (50 states and D.C.). Nashville has 47 of them (36%).

A record is a registration a provider made and keeps up to date: it shows neither that the provider is licensed nor that they still practice there. The state's own license search is the check.

States with a similar number

  1. Virginia133
  2. Indiana136
  3. Arizona123
  4. Washington120

States with a similar rate per 100,000

  1. South Carolina1.8
  2. Arkansas1.8
  3. Maine1.8
  4. Louisiana1.9

The largest states

  1. California634
  2. Texas484
  3. Florida468
  4. New York446
  5. Pennsylvania377

Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), file of Aug 9, 2026 (NPPES files on CMS.gov); NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy; 2023 Census population estimates. A registry record is not a license.

Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of Aug 9, 2026.