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2026 NPPES data Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician NPI 1902987431 M.D.
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Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.

Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician in Decatur, Alabama.

This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 4,094 in Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) 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
16K
Medicare Part D claims · 973 beneficiaries · Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician avg: 2K
Generic prescribing
97%
generic claims · 3% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
MIPS score
0/100
▼ 84 pts below national avg 83.5 · Penalty band
Industry payments
$1.5K
20 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Verify NPI on CMS Methodology
Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

What the federal data shows

Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 0/100 - below the 83.5 national average - and filed 16,130 Medicare Part D claims in 2024.

0/100
MIPS score · -83 vs avg
16K
Part D claims, 2024
97%
generic prescribing
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.

Federal trust snapshot

What official records show about Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.

Federal records show an active NPI with both Medicare prescribing volume and a measured CMS quality score — objective registry data, not patient reviews.

  • Verified

    NPI registry status

    Active listing in the CMS National Provider Identifier Registry (NPI 1902987431), first enumerated 10/18/2006.

    Source: CMS NPPES

  • Reported

    Medicare Part D participation

    Filed 16,130 Medicare Part D prescription claims in the 2023 CMS public use file — indicates active Medicare prescribing participation.

    Source: CMS Part D Prescriber PUF

  • Reported

    CMS quality reporting (MIPS)

    Reported a CMS MIPS final score of 0/100 in the Quality Payment Program — a federal quality measure, not a patient review.

    Source: CMS Quality Payment Program

  • Reported

    Board certification signal

    Heuristic suggests board-certified status based on ABMS-eligible specialty taxonomy plus active CMS participation signals — not a direct ABMS verification.

    Source: NUCC taxonomy + CMS participation heuristic

  • Reported

    Industry payment transparency

    $1.5K in reported industry payments (20 transfers) in 2024 under the federal Sunshine Act — disclosed transfers of value, not a quality rating.

    Source: CMS Open Payments

  • Not in federal data

    Individual sanction lookup

    PlainDoctor does not publish per-provider disciplinary determinations. Confirm current license and any individual actions through the state medical board or FSMB verification service.

    Source: State medical board / FSMB

This trust snapshot summarizes only what appears in federal CMS/NPPES public records. It is not a composite score, star rating, patient review, or clinical recommendation. PlainDoctor never fabricates reviews or AggregateRating schema.

CMS NPPES provider registry desk

NPI 1902987431 · Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician

NPI-10 · ENUM-LEGACY · TAX-NARROW · MIPS-LOW · RX-HEAVY · BOOK-THIN · PHOTO-FINISH

  • NPI-10 1902987431
  • ENUM-LEGACY 2006
  • TAX-NARROW 4,094
  • MIPS-LOW 0/100
  • RX-HEAVY 16K claims
  • BOOK-THIN 48 in Alabama
  • PHOTO-FINISH Emil Annabi · ±0.0

MIPS final-score neighbourhood

Same-specialty nationwide peers by CMS final score, not geographic proximity

MIPS pts

What this shows Nearest measured MIPS peers for this NUCC specialty (2023 performance year).

Source CMS Quality Payment Program (MIPS) As of 2023

Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s MIPS score vs every measured U.S. clinician

CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023, the federal quality measure. Clinicians whose score CMS assigned without scoring any category are excluded.

0 ≥ 0th percentile 0% of 454,083 measured providers are in lower value bands

0–10: 8,684 measured providers (2%). This entry sits in this band. 10–20: 3,008 measured providers (1%). Above this entry. 20–30: 3,069 measured providers (1%). Above this entry. 30–40: 2,746 measured providers (1%). Above this entry. 40–50: 2,928 measured providers (1%). Above this entry. 50–60: 5,882 measured providers (1%). Above this entry. 60–70: 13,906 measured providers (3%). Above this entry. 70–80: 94,570 measured providers (21%). Above this entry. 80–90: 129,887 measured providers (29%). Above this entry. 90+: 189,403 measured providers (42%). Above this entry. This provider 0 100 every measured MIPS clinician, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more measured 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.

The percentile is a conservative whole-score-point band: it counts only measured clinicians in lower score bands. A CMS MIPS metric is not a recommendation or a clinical-quality rating by PlainDoctor. See methodology § corpus placement.

Source CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) · 2023

Where Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. sits

This provider among pain medicine (anesthesiology) physician peers

Across the 928 pain medicine (anesthesiology) physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 99% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 0% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.

Lower volume · High qualityHigh volume · High qualityLower volume · Lower qualityHigh volume · Lower quality0255075100024.148.372.496.6Part D claim volume, percentile in specialtyMIPS quality, percentilePoint, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 88 · MIPS quality, percentile: 28Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 0 · MIPS quality, percentile: 73Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 63 · MIPS quality, percentile: 45Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 27 · MIPS quality, percentile: 70Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 2 · MIPS quality, percentile: 20Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 55 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 95 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 50 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 13 · MIPS quality, percentile: 18Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 65 · MIPS quality, percentile: 63Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 7 · MIPS quality, percentile: 22Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 75 · MIPS quality, percentile: 43Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 72 · MIPS quality, percentile: 38Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 15 · MIPS quality, percentile: 32Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 35 · MIPS quality, percentile: 47Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 12 · MIPS quality, percentile: 92Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 48 · MIPS quality, percentile: 82Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 60 · MIPS quality, percentile: 62Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 45 · MIPS quality, percentile: 57Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 38 · MIPS quality, percentile: 23Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 37 · MIPS quality, percentile: 25Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 77 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 10 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 23 · MIPS quality, percentile: 48Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 97 · MIPS quality, percentile: 80Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 57 · MIPS quality, percentile: 58Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 28 · MIPS quality, percentile: 87Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 70 · MIPS quality, percentile: 60Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 85 · MIPS quality, percentile: 92Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 8 · MIPS quality, percentile: 33Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 20 · MIPS quality, percentile: 37Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 47 · MIPS quality, percentile: 77Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 32 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 60 · MIPS quality, percentile: 40Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 92 · MIPS quality, percentile: 50Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 30 · MIPS quality, percentile: 78Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 93 · MIPS quality, percentile: 15Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 25 · MIPS quality, percentile: 92Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 87 · MIPS quality, percentile: 17Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 33 · MIPS quality, percentile: 27Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 58 · MIPS quality, percentile: 83Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 80 · MIPS quality, percentile: 52Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 5 · MIPS quality, percentile: 92Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 52 · MIPS quality, percentile: 35Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 73 · MIPS quality, percentile: 55Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 82 · MIPS quality, percentile: 30Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 43 · MIPS quality, percentile: 72Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 3 · MIPS quality, percentile: 73Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 53 · MIPS quality, percentile: 53Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 67 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 90 · MIPS quality, percentile: 92Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 83 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 40 · MIPS quality, percentile: 67Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 18 · MIPS quality, percentile: 88Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 98 · MIPS quality, percentile: 92Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 68 · MIPS quality, percentile: 42Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 17 · MIPS quality, percentile: 65Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 42 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 22 · MIPS quality, percentile: 85Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 78 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D., Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 99 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0
Part D claim volume vs MIPS quality, by specialty percentile

Each dot is one pain medicine (anesthesiology) physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.

✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)

Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting - 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 Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.?

Below national average

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 10/18/2006

NPI 1902987431

Primary specialty

Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician

Niche

4,094 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

16,130 9× vs specialty avg

2024 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 1,731

MIPS final score

0/100 83.5 pts vs avg

Penalty band band

vs 83.5 national avg

Specialty distribution in Alabama

How Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician compares to other specialties among Alabama providers

Alabama providers
Student in an Organized Heal…8.4%Pharmacist6.6%Family Nurse Practitioner5.9%Behavior Technician4.7%Physical Therapist4.2%Mental Health Counselor3.4%Pain Medicine (Anesthesiolog…0.1%
Largest specialties in Alabama (% of in-state providers)

Medicare quality performance, MIPS

Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician national average

Below national average
MIPS Final Score
0/100
vs 83.5 national avg · 2023 performance year
0%100%National avg84%0%
MIPS final score (Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician) - 0/100 vs national avg 83.5
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).

Practice Address

2208 DANVILLE RD SW
Decatur, AL 35601
(256) 301-9994

Provider Details

NPI 1902987431
Specialty Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician
Credentials M.D.
Gender Male
NPI Issued 10/18/2006

CMS Quality Score (MIPS)

Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.

0
Final Score
Measured-score avg: 83.5
0
Quality

Reporting: Individual

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 Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$1.5K

Largest payer

Medtronic, Inc.

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.

Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Generic-heavy

Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. - brand share 3.0%
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician average

3% brand-name claims vs 97% generic, on 16,130 2024 Medicare Part D claims.

The federal Medicare Part D Generic Dispensing Rate national benchmark sits near 90% generic / 10% brand for primary-care prescribers, per CMS Office of the Actuary 2024 estimates. Higher brand share is common in specialty prescribing where generic equivalents are not available.

Medicare Part D Prescribing Data

CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2024.

16,130
Total Claims
$572K
Total Drug Cost
973
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
17,881.8
Total Day Supply
517,364
Brand vs Generic
3% brand / 97% generic
Brand Drug Cost
$182K
Generic Drug Cost
$390K
Opioid Claims
6,967 (43.2% rate)
Antibiotic Claims
17

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
69.2 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
1.69
Gender Split
63% female / 37% male
Age Distribution
<65: 256, 65-74: 428, 75-84: 231, 85+: 58

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2024. Based on Medicare Part D data only.

What Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. prescribes most

Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2024

claims
Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File As of 2024
Drug Claims
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
4,117
Gabapentin
 2,289
Oxycodone-Acetaminophen
Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen
1,513
Pregabalin
 983
Duloxetine Hcl
 866
Celecoxib
 707
Meloxicam
 632
Methocarbamol
 518
Buprenorphine
 470
Cyclobenzaprine Hcl
 438

* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.

More Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician in AL → All providers in Alabama → Compare specialties →

Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician Overview

How Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. fits within the Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician landscape nationally.

4,094
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician Providers in US
53
States with Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician
1,731
Avg Claims per Provider

Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s 16,130 claims are above the specialty average of 1,731.

Nationwide Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician peers with similar MIPS or enrollment year

Two federal-record peer sets for Shikhtholth, both outside Alabama so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar MIPS final score

Nearest same-specialty clinicians by CMS MIPS final score (0 here).

Emil Annabi 0 AZ Anatoly Arber 0 IL A Ghafoor Baha 0 IL Eugene Becker 0 IL

Same NPPES enumeration year (2006)

Same-specialty clinicians who entered the NPI registry in the same calendar year, outside this state.

Kalvin White Tulsa, OK Jason Krutsch Lakewood, CO Patricia Harrison Los Angeles, CA Jianping Sun Renton, WA

Nearby Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician Providers in Alabama

Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Alabama, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Shikhtholth.

One of 48 Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician providers enrolled in Alabama, 5 are shown here.

Dr. Bart Barber
DO
Fort Payne, AL
Dr. Jon Bignault
MD
Athens, AL
Dr. Patricia Boltz
M.D.
Spanish Fort, AL
Dr. Juanita Briscoe
M.D.
Montgomery, AL
Kara Burns
Birmingham, AL

Compare Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. specializes in Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician and practices in Decatur, Alabama. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2024, Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. wrote 16,130 Medicare Part D claims totaling $572K in drug costs for 973 beneficiaries.
What is Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 0/100 (Quality: 0). The average MIPS Final Score across the 454,083 clinicians with at least one published category score is 83.5; clinicians whose score CMS assigned without scoring any category are excluded from that average. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. located? ▼
Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. is located at 2208 DANVILLE RD SW, Decatur, AL, 35601. Phone: (256) 301-9994.
What is Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1902987431, issued on 10/18/2006.
Does Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s prescribing is 3% brand-name and 97% generic drugs by claim count, with $182K in brand drug costs.
Does Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. had 6,967 opioid claims in 2024 with an opioid prescribing rate of 43.2%.
How many Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 4,094 Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician providers across 53 states in the US. The average Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician provider writes 1,731 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2024 Medicare Part D data, Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, Gabapentin, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 16,130 Part D claims and 973 Medicare beneficiaries in 2024. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Ahmad Shikhtholth, M.D.'s NPI is 1902987431 with credentials M.D.. 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 (2024). 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 August 2026 (NPPES) / 2024 (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

Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

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 August 2026.