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Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD

Accepting New Patients

(5 Ratings)

Specializes in: Interventional Cardiology

Tulane University School of Medicine (1984)

Professional interests include: bradycardia (slow heart rate), high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia), hypertension (high blood pressure), and more.

1819 Clinch Avenue Suite 108
Knoxville, TN 37916

(865) 546-5111

Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD is an interventional cardiologist in Knoxville, TN specializing in interventional cardiology. He graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1984 and has 41 years of experience. Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD is affiliated with Covenant Health, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, KNOXVILLE HEART GROUP, INC and FORT SANDERS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER.

Office Locations

Address:

1819 Clinch Avenue Suite 108
Knoxville, TN 37916

Address:

380 West Broadway Boulevard
Jefferson City, TN 37760

Address:

7625 Chapman Highway Suite 102
Knoxville, TN 37920

Some issues Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD can help you with:

Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. It happens when the blood vessels carrying blood to the heart, called coronary arteries, narrow and harden. This occurs when cholesterol, a type of fat found in the blood, builds up to form plaque, which sticks to the inner walls of the arteries. As plaque accumulates, less blood can flow through the arteries, which may lead to the following:

Angina, which is chest pain that occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood flow.
Heart attack, which happens if the arteries leading to the heart are completely blocked.
Arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, which can develop if the heart does not have enough blood supply.
Heart failure, which may occur if a heart attack damages the heart and it becomes too weak to pump enough blood to the rest of the body.

Certain factors may increase risk for the disease, like smoking, lack of exercise, being overweight, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. CAD tends to develop over decades, so it can go undetected until it has become quite severe. A diagnosis may be established using such tests as:

Electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the heart's electrical activity over a period of time. ECGs can detect whether there is enough blood flow to the heart or if a heart attack has occurred.
Echocardiogram (echo), which creates images of the heart using sound waves. Echos can show whether the heart is able to pump blood normally.
Stress tests, where an ECG or echo is combined with exercise, like riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill. This test is done to find out if the heart can function properly while performing a strenuous activity.

Treatments for the disease include medications such as vasodilators, like nitroglycerin, which dilates (widens) the coronary arteries. CAD may also be treated by a procedure called angioplasty with stent placement, where a balloon is inflated inside a diseased artery to flatten the plaque deposits against the artery walls, creating more room for blood to flow.

In some severe cases of the disease, multiple arteries may be blocked, and an open heart surgery called coronary artery bypass surgery may be necessary. This operation transplants a vessel from another part of the body to form a graft that goes past the narrowed arteries, thus enabling blood to flow around those arteries.

Heart Attack

A heart attack is a serious medical event that happens when the blood supplying oxygen to the heart is cut off, usually because of a blockage in an artery. This results in damage or death of part of the heart muscle. The heart can heal, but like any part of the body that was injured it leaves a scar. This scar tissue does not contract effectively, so the ability of the heart to pump is lowered after a heart attack.

A heart attack, sometimes called a myocardial infarction, can happen without warning. However there are certain factors that raise the risk of heart attack. Some of these are:

Age
Gender (most heart attack sufferers are male)
A family history of heart attacks
Smoking
Obesity
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Unhealthy lifestyle choices (lack of exercise, poor diet, too much alcohol or stress)

Heart attacks typically feel like pain or pressure in the chest that can radiate out to the back, arm, or jaw. Some other symptoms can include fatigue or weakness, shortness of breath, sweating, and nausea.

Treatment aims to increase blood flow to the heart muscle by opening up blocked blood vessels. Medications are sometimes used to dissolve clots in the arteries. Aspirin and other medications such as Plavix can thin the blood and make clots less likely to form. Dilators can widen blood vessels to make room for more blood to flow. Doctors can also use a procedure called catheterization to look at the blood vessels around the heart directly, place stents, or widen vessels using angioplasty. In extreme cases bypass surgery can be used to help blood flow better. After recovery, it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle and take any prescribed medications in order to protect the heart.

angioplasty	54
cardiac procedures	563
cardioversion	16
catheterization	147
diagnostic procedures	68
doctor visit	726
hospital care	605
inpatient care	589
minimally invasive procedures	177
outpatient care	16
stent placement (stenting)	54
stress testing	91
ultrasound (sonogram)	351
vascular procedures	67

**Gender**
Male	768
Female	750

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1369
Black	131
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	552
From 75 to 84	455
85 and over	233
Less than 65	278

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	64
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	60
Depression	30
Chronic Kidney Disease	40
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	24
Heart Failure	39
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	34
Diabetes	43
Dementia	20
Cancer	14

angioplasty	102
cardiac procedures	663
cardioversion	19
catheterization	248
diagnostic procedures	69
doctor visit	710
hospital care	553
inpatient care	524
minimally invasive procedures	280
nursing home care	23
outpatient care	29
stent placement (stenting)	102
stress testing	61
ultrasound (sonogram)	359
vascular procedures	68

**Gender**
Male	770
Female	777

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1381
Black	139
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	12
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	548
From 75 to 84	466
85 and over	254
Less than 65	279

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	68
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	59
Depression	32
Chronic Kidney Disease	41
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	24
Heart Failure	37
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	35
Diabetes	42
Dementia	19
Cancer	14

angioplasty	64
cardiac procedures	443
cardioversion	24
catheterization	157
diagnostic procedures	63
doctor visit	717
hospital care	580
inpatient care	563
minimally invasive procedures	190
outpatient care	17
stent placement (stenting)	64
stress testing	95
ultrasound (sonogram)	244
vascular procedures	62

**Gender**
Male	1270
Female	1250

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	2298
Black	194
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	894
From 75 to 84	794
85 and over	400
Less than 65	432

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	69
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	64
Depression	31
Chronic Kidney Disease	45
Asthma	21
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	26
Heart Failure	40
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	32
Diabetes	45
Dementia	18
Cancer	11

angioplasty	72
cardiac procedures	611
cardioversion	24
catheterization	178
diagnostic procedures	72
doctor visit	717
hospital care	599
inpatient care	600
minimally invasive procedures	228
stent placement (stenting)	72
stress testing	96
ultrasound (sonogram)	364
vascular procedures	86

**Gender**
Male	747
Female	675

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1288
Black	107
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	12
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	524
From 75 to 84	467
85 and over	218
Less than 65	213

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	69
Stroke	15
Ischemic Heart Disease	62
Depression	32
Chronic Kidney Disease	54
Asthma	34
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	27
Heart Failure	41
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	33
Diabetes	43
Dementia	18
Cancer	12

angioplasty	38
cardiac procedures	586
cardioversion	13
catheterization	126
diagnostic procedures	71
doctor visit	640
hospital care	486
inpatient care	487
minimally invasive procedures	162
stent placement (stenting)	38
stress testing	98
ultrasound (sonogram)	424
vascular procedures	70

**Gender**
Male	741
Female	734

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1335
Black	104
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	18
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	558
From 75 to 84	427
85 and over	248
Less than 65	242

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	68
Stroke	16
Ischemic Heart Disease	61
Depression	36
Chronic Kidney Disease	55
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	23
Heart Failure	37
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	36
Diabetes	44
Dementia	19
Cancer	12

angioplasty	48
cardiac procedures	643
cardioversion	18
catheterization	131
diagnostic procedures	61
doctor visit	639
hospital care	370
inpatient care	371
minimally invasive procedures	162
stent placement (stenting)	48
stress testing	99
ultrasound (sonogram)	468
vascular procedures	60

**Gender**
Male	785
Female	780

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1405
Black	121
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	25
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	590
From 75 to 84	485
85 and over	224
Less than 65	266

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	70
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	61
Depression	36
Chronic Kidney Disease	56
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	24
Heart Failure	39
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	33
Diabetes	46
Dementia	19
Cancer	14

angioplasty	60
cardiac procedures	749
cardioversion	20
catheterization	171
diagnostic procedures	83
doctor visit	618
hospital care	421
inpatient care	422
minimally invasive procedures	217
stent placement (stenting)	60
stress testing	98
ultrasound (sonogram)	503
vascular procedures	95

**Gender**
Male	796
Female	858

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1481
Black	139
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	19
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	642
From 75 to 84	498
85 and over	262
Less than 65	252

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	68
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	57
Depression	33
Chronic Kidney Disease	54
Asthma	7
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	23
Heart Failure	36
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	31
Diabetes	43
Dementia	17
Cancer	13

cardiac procedures	452
cardioversion	20
catheterization	34
diagnostic procedures	39
doctor visit	583
hospital care	283
inpatient care	284
minimally invasive procedures	71
stress testing	70
ultrasound (sonogram)	347
vascular procedures	59

**Gender**
Male	746
Female	731

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1328
Black	118
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	18
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	585
From 75 to 84	459
85 and over	226
Less than 65	207

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	69
Stroke	12
Ischemic Heart Disease	57
Depression	35
Chronic Kidney Disease	54
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	24
Heart Failure	35
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	30
Diabetes	42
Dementia	18
Cancer	12

angioplasty	40
cardiac procedures	1054
cardioversion	14
catheterization	147
diagnostic procedures	89
doctor visit	1099
hospital care	372
inpatient care	373
minimally invasive procedures	180
stent placement (stenting)	40
stress testing	141
ultrasound (sonogram)	857
vascular procedures	88

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD treated as an interventional cardiologist in Knoxville, TN were cardiac procedures, hospital care, inpatient care and ultrasound (sonogram).

angioplasty	59
cardiac procedures	646
cardioversion	18
catheterization	152
diagnostic procedures	69
doctor visit	718
hospital care	475
inpatient care	468
minimally invasive procedures	189
nursing home care	23
outpatient care	20
stent placement (stenting)	59
stress testing	94
ultrasound (sonogram)	435
vascular procedures	74

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD.

**Gender**
Female	655
Male	662

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	105
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	1188
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	10

**Age**
85 and over	206
75 to 84	405
Less than 65	216
65 to 74	489

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD From 2013 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, ischemic heart disease and chronic kidney disease.

Hypertension	60
High Cholesterol	54
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	48
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	39
Asthma	10
Osteoporosis	6
Heart Failure	30
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	26
Diabetes	34
Atrial Fibrillation	19
Dementia	14
Cancer	10

Education & Training

Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1984. He completed residency at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Affiliated Hospitals. He is certified by the Cardiovascular Disease Interventional Cardiology and has a state license in Tennessee.

Medical School: Tulane University School of Medicine (1984)

Residency: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Affiliated Hospitals (1987)

Board Certification: Cardiovascular Disease Interventional Cardiology

Licensed In: Tennessee

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Covenant Health

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center

KNOXVILLE HEART GROUP, INC

FORT SANDERS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: Humana PPO, CIGNA PPO, CIGNA POS, Aetna Elect Choice, CIGNA HMO, Humana ChoiceCare Network, PHCS PPO, WellCare Medicare Advantage, Humana Medicare Advantage PPO, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), Aetna Choice POS II, Medicare Advantage, HealthSpring, Humana POS, Humana HMO, Aetna, Aetna QPOS, Aetna Open Choice PPO, United Healthcare, Medicaid, Humana, Cigna, Community Care Network (CCN), TRICARE, Aetna Select, Aetna Managed Choice POS, Aetna HMO, WellPoint, BlueAdvantage Ruby, BCBS Network S Bronze (B07), BCBS TennCare Select, NHC Advantage ISNP (Institutional Special Needs Plan), BCBS Network S Silver (S04A/B/C), BCBS Network S Silver (S01A/B/C), BlueEssential HMO, BlueCare TennCare, BlueCare Plus D-SNP, American Health Plan ISNP (Institutional Special Needs Plan), NovaNet Network Lease & WC, NX Health Network Monterey Mushroom Employees, BCBS Network S Silver (S01), BCBS Network S Silver (S04), BlueEssential SNP, BlueAdvantage Sapphire, BCBS Network S Gold (G06), BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Network P and Network S, BCBS TennCare Select CoverKids, BlueAdvantage PPO, Ambetter of Tennessee - All Plans, Traditional Medicare and BlueAdvantage Diamond.

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD accepts the following insurance providers:

Humana PPO

CIGNA PPO

CIGNA POS

Aetna Elect Choice

CIGNA HMO

Humana ChoiceCare Network

PHCS PPO

WellCare Medicare Advantage

Humana Medicare Advantage PPO

Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)

Aetna Choice POS II

Medicare Advantage

HealthSpring

Humana POS

Humana HMO

Aetna

Aetna QPOS

Aetna Open Choice PPO

United Healthcare

Medicaid

Humana

Cigna

Community Care Network (CCN)

TRICARE

Aetna Select

Aetna Managed Choice POS

Aetna HMO

WellPoint

BlueAdvantage Ruby

BCBS Network S Bronze (B07)

BCBS TennCare Select

NHC Advantage ISNP (Institutional Special Needs Plan)

BCBS Network S Silver (S04A/B/C)

BCBS Network S Silver (S01A/B/C)

BlueEssential HMO

BlueCare TennCare

BlueCare Plus D-SNP

American Health Plan ISNP (Institutional Special Needs Plan)

NovaNet Network Lease & WC

NX Health Network Monterey Mushroom Employees

BCBS Network S Silver (S01)

BCBS Network S Silver (S04)

BlueEssential SNP

BlueAdvantage Sapphire

BCBS Network S Gold (G06)

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Network P and Network S

BCBS TennCare Select CoverKids

BlueAdvantage PPO

Ambetter of Tennessee - All Plans

Traditional Medicare

BlueAdvantage Diamond

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Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 5 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in Knoxville, TN.

4.8

Overall Rating

(5 Ratings)

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation	$2,849 Transcatheter Heart Valves $2,376	Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve $474
Medtronic, Inc.	$1,458 Micra $1,458
Abbott Laboratories	$1,323 Vascular $1,323
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.	$1,310 Heart Valves $1,286	Resolute $13	Reveal LINQ $11
Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.	$34 Definity $34
Other	$57 EKOSONIC $22	PRALUENT (alirocumab) Injection $15	$20

**Types of Payments**
Travel and Lodging	$5,029
Food and Beverage	$1,961
Education	$42

Research Payments

Dr. Thomas Miller Ayres, MD has received 11 research payments totaling $32,679.

Biography

Dr. Thomas Ayres is a specialist in interventional cardiology. Areas of expertise for Dr. Ayres include atherosclerosis, high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia), and angina. Humana ChoiceCare Network, CIGNA Plans, and Community Care Network (CCN) seem to be the insurance carriers that Dr. Ayres accepts. Dr. Ayres attended Tulane University School of Medicine and then went on to complete his residency at a hospital affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is affiliated with Covenant Health. Covenant Health reports that Dr. Ayres is accepting new patients at his office in Knoxville, TN.