Ben Palmer, O.D.
Optometrist in Nipomo, California. This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers — including 60,463 in Optometrist, 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.
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2023
What the federal data shows
Ben Palmer, O.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 89.1/100 — above the 83.1 national average — and filed 285 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 89.1/100
- MIPS score · +6 vs avg
- 285
- Part D claims, 2023
- 27%
- generic prescribing
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.
Ben Palmer, O.D.'s MIPS score vs every scored U.S. clinician
CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023 — the federal quality measure
89 Top 42% higher than 58% 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 Ben Palmer, O.D. sits
This provider among optometrist peers
Across the 6,527 optometrist providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Ben Palmer, O.D. writes more Part D claims than 42% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 59% — 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 optometrist peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Ben Palmer, O.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
What does the federal data show about Ben Palmer, O.D.?
High performer (top quartile)Primary specialty
Medicare Part D claims
MIPS final score
Specialty distribution in California
How Optometrist compares to other specialties among California providers
Largest specialties in California (% of in-state providers)
Optometrist ranks #29 among California's specialties (0.9% of in-state providers)
Each bar is a specialty's share of the California provider total, by primary NUCC taxonomy. The highlighted bar is Optometrist; the long tail of smaller specialties is omitted for legibility.
Medicare quality performance — MIPS
Ben Palmer, O.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Optometrist national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 89.1/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Optometrist) — 89.1/100 vs national avg 83.1
Quality benchmarks
- National MIPS avg 2023 reporting year
- Quality dim CMS Quality category
- Specialty volume Optometrist US NPIs
89.1/100 MIPS final score — 6.0 pts above the 83.1 national average
Quality, Cost, Promoting Interoperability, and Improvement Activities composite score for the 2023 performance year. Specialty: Optometrist. Quality dim: 78.3.
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).
Ben Palmer, O.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Optometrist provider holding O.D. credentials at 150 S MARY AVE STE 4, Nipomo, CA, 93444, with a listed phone of (805) 929-1982. NPI 1235463944 was issued on 09/28/2009. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what Palmer most recently submitted to CMS rather than a vetted directory listing, which is why patients should always confirm the practice is still at this location before scheduling.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 285 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 79 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $80K in drug spend, split 73% brand-name and 27% generic by claim count. These figures capture only Medicare Part D — commercial insurance, Medicaid, and cash-pay prescriptions are not included, and any drug-beneficiary cell under 11 is suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 89.1/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 78.3), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Optometrist is a high-volume specialty nationwide, with 60,463 enrolled providers across 56 states and an average of 257 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 | 1235463944 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Optometrist |
| Credentials | O.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 09/28/2009 |
Verify this provider's license
PlainDoctor pulls this profile from the CMS NPPES public registry. Confirm Ben Palmer, O.D.'s current license status, disciplinary history, and board certifications with the Medical Board of California in California before relying on this page for a clinical or care decision.
How we sourced this profile
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
Reporting: Individual
License & disciplinary context — California MBC 2023 annual report
Aggregate state board data only — NOT a determination of any individual provider's status. The figures below describe statewide disciplinary activity across all ~150K California medical licensees in 2023 — they are NOT specific to Ben Palmer, O.D.. To verify Ben Palmer, O.D.'s current license status, search the MBC public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.
MBC publishes annual disciplinary statistics as part of public-record reporting under each state's Administrative Procedure Act. See the full breakdown by action type and year on the California disciplinary trends page. Cross-checked against FSMB U.S. Medical Regulatory Trends.
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Brand-heavy
73% brand-name claims vs 27% generic, on 285 2023 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 2023.
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 437
- Total Day Supply
- 11,807
- Brand vs Generic
- 73% brand / 27% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $79K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $1K
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 74.3 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.00
- Gender Split
- 57% female / 43% male
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Ben Palmer, O.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Latanoprost
Latanoprost
133 claims
- Restasis 29
Restasis
29 claims
- Lumigan 24
Lumigan
24 claims
- Fluorometholone 20
Fluorometholone
20 claims
- Timolol Maleate 13
Timolol Maleate
13 claims
- Combigan 11
Combigan
11 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Latanoprost | 133 |
| Restasis Cyclosporine | 29 |
| Lumigan Bimatoprost | 24 |
| Fluorometholone | 20 |
| Timolol Maleate | 13 |
| Combigan Brimonidine Tartrate/Timolol | 11 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Optometrist Overview
How Ben Palmer, O.D. fits within the Optometrist landscape nationally.
Ben Palmer, O.D.'s 285 claims are above the specialty average of 257.
Nearby Optometrist Providers in California
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in California, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Palmer.
Compare Optometrist nationally: see state-by-state distribution →
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 California medical board — federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Optometrist 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
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Data Sources
- 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