Jacob A. Klapper, MD
Gastrointestinal Surgeon, Lung Transplant Surgeon, Thoracic Surgeon
My Locations
About Me
Many years ago, I came across a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. Since that time, those words have guided my professional life from the field I chose to how I care for my patients who experience discomfort from acid reflux, hiatal hernia and paraesophageal hernia. With every individual and their families, I make sure that they appreciate my understanding of how their health issues provide them with new stresses that may leave them confused and scared. As a result, I pride myself on reassuring my patients and making sure that by the time they leave their clinic visit they know that I have their best interests at heart. Personally, my wife and I are the proud parents of three boys. Consequently, I like to spend my free time making use of their unlimited energy by running them around at all the great parks in the local area.
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Surgery, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery 2021
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Areas of Expertise
Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews are based on patient responses to the overall provider rating question from the survey. The question reads: “Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?” Responses are converted to a 5-point rating system and applied consistently to all providers. Learn more about our survey process. Patients who see some types of providers receive a different version of the patient satisfaction survey. Those results are not available on DukeHealth.org.
Training and Education
In the News
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Clinical Focus and Research
My research interests are focused on examining outcomes from our decades long experience with lung transplantation at Duke University. In doing so, it is my stated goal that our unparalleled experience will provide new insights into improved patient outcomes both in the short and long term. In addition, I have an interest in study of postoperative delirium and sleep disturbances after surgery.
- Klapper, Jacob A. “Commentary: Mission accomplished.” J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 169, no. 4 (April 2025): 1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2024.08.040.
- Alderete, Isaac S., Arya Pontula, Cathlyn K. Medina, Samantha E. Halpern, Jacob A. Klapper, Megan L. Neely, Laurie Snyder, and Matthew G. Hartwig. “Predictors of donation after circulatory death lung utilization and allograft survival.” J Heart Lung Transplant 44, no. 4 (April 2025): 573–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healun.2024.11.013.
- Chow, Bryan, Morgan A. Rosser, Jacob A. Klapper, Negmeldeen Mamoun, Matthew G. Hartwig, Kevin A. Wu, Jessica L. Poisson, et al. “Perioperative Bleeding Risk in Lung Transplantation After Previous Cardiothoracic Surgery.” Clin Transplant 39, no. 4 (April 2025): e70151. https://doi.org/10.1111/ctr.70151.
- Vekstein, A. M., J. M. Reynolds, and J. A. Klapper. “Preoperative Optimization for Lung Transplant.” In Textbook of Transplantation and Mechanical Support for End-Stage Heart and Lung Disease, 1081–88, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119633884.ch77.
- Klapper, J. A., and C. E. Denlinger. “Biological basis of esophageal adenocarcinoma.” In Modern Thoracic Oncology, 3–3:63–67, 2018.
- Klapper, J. A., B. Gulack, and M. G. Hartwig. “Reflux and aspiration: Their presumed role in chronic cough and the development of end-stage lung disease.” In Reflux Aspiration and Lung Disease, 213–23, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90525-9_18.
- Alderete, Isaac S., Cathlyn K. Medina, Arya Pontula, Samantha E. Halpern, Alexandria L. Soto, Kunal J. Patel, Jacob A. Klapper, and Matthew G. Hartwig. “Donor and recipient factors associated with primary graft dysfunction following lung transplantation: A donor management goal registry analysis.” In J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2024.10.045.
- Hartwig, Matthew G., Jacob A. Klapper, Nagaraju Poola, Amit Banga, Pablo G. Sanchez, John S. Murala, and Jim L. Potenziano. “A Randomized, Multicenter, Blinded Pilot Study Assessing the Effects of Gaseous Nitric Oxide in an Ex Vivo System of Human Lungs.” In Pulm Ther, 9:151–63, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41030-022-00209-5.
- Yamamoto, Marilyn, Jacob Klapper, John Reynolds, Rahul Shimpi, Matthew Hartwig, and David Leiman. “Extended Wireless pH Monitoring Improves Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Detection After Lung Transplantation.” In AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY, 118:S393–94, 2023.
Insurance Accepted
Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below.
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Aetna
- Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
- Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
- Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
- Aetna Managed Choice POS
- Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
- Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
- Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
- Aetna Open Choice PPO
- Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
- Aetna Select HMO
- Aetna Traditional Choice
- Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
- Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
- Aetna/CVS Health
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Ambetter
- Ambetter of North Carolina
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Blue Advantage
- Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
- Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
- Blue Select
- NC State Employees Health Plan
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.
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Cigna
- Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
- Cigna Choice Plus
- Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
- Cigna Open Access
- Cigna Open Access Plus
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*Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.
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Duke Group Plans
- Duke Basic
- Duke Select
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Experience Health
- Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
- Gateway Health Alliance
- Healthgram
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Humana
- Humana Choice (PPO)
- Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
- Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
- Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
- MedCost
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Medicare
- First Medicare Direct
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
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NC Medicaid
- AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
- Carolina Complete Health
- Healthy Blue
- NC Medicaid Direct
- WellCare of North Carolina
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TRICARE
- TRICARE Prime
- TRICARE Prime Remote
- TRICARE Select
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United Healthcare
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
- AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
- All Savers Alternate Funding
- All Savers Fully Insured
- United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)**
- United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
- United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
- United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
- United Healthcare Option PPO
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
- United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
- United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
- United Medical Resources (UMR)
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.
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**Duke Health does not participate in UHC plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.
External Relationships
- Intuitive Surgical
- Lung Bioengineering
- Up To Date Inc/Wolters Kluwer Health