NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Family Medicine Physician NPI 1780797803 MD
Verify on CMS → Brian Kauth, MD
Family Medicine Physician in Hickory, North Carolina.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 147,760 in Family Medicine 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
9K
Medicare Part D claims · 563 beneficiaries · Family Medicine Physician avg: 3K
Generic prescribing
85%
generic claims · 14% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
Industry payments
$85.88
5 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2023
What the federal data shows
Brian Kauth, MD filed 9,456 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 as a Family Medicine Physician in Hickory, North Carolina, prescribing 85% generic.
- 9K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 85%
- generic prescribing
- $85.88
- industry payments (Sunshine Act)
- ≥98th
- pct by Part D claim volume (lower-bound band)
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.
Brian Kauth, MD's Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber
Total Medicare Part D claims, 2023, across all CMS prescribers nationally
9,456 ≥ 98th percentile 98% of 1,370,886 prescribers are in lower value bands
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more prescribers. 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 100-claim band: it counts only prescribers in lower claim-volume bands. Medicare Part D claim volume is activity context, not a quality measure or recommendation. See methodology § corpus placement.
Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File · 2023
◑
Board-eligible specialty (heuristic, not verified)
Brian Kauth, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty but we don't have enough CMS-participation signals to confirm active board-certified status. Consult CertificationMatters.org (the official ABMS public lookup).
What does the federal data show about Brian Kauth, MD?
Quality data not reportedPrimary specialty
Family Medicine Physician
Medicare Part D claims
9,456 177% vs specialty avg
Specialty distribution in North Carolina
How Family Medicine Physician compares to other specialties among North Carolina providers
Board certification
Not published by CMS
CMS does not publish a per-provider board-certification field in NPPES. PlainDoctor does not have a reliable per-specialty certification rate to show for Family Medicine Physician. Verify directly:
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).
Brian Kauth, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Family Medicine Physician provider holding MD credentials at 2365 SPRINGS RD NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, with a listed phone of (828) 256-2112. NPI 1780797803 was issued on 08/15/2006.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 9,456 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 563 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $1.0 million in drug spend, split 14% brand-name and 85% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 1.8%.
Family Medicine Physician is a high-volume specialty nationwide, with 147,760 enrolled providers across 56 states and an average of 3,418 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 | 1780797803 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Family Medicine Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 08/15/2006 |
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 Brian Kauth, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$86
Largest payer
Amgen 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 · Typical
Brian Kauth, MD - brand share 14.0%
Family Medicine Physician average
14% brand-name claims vs 85% generic, on 9,456 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.
9,456
Total Claims
$1.0M
Total Drug Cost
563
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 20,276
- Total Day Supply
- 592,510
- Brand vs Generic
- 14% brand / 85% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $856K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $181K
- Opioid Claims
- 172 (1.8% rate)
- Antibiotic Claims
- 201
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 71.2 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.29
- Gender Split
- 55% female / 45% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 106, 65-74: 240, 75-84: 166, 85+: 51
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Brian Kauth, MD prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Atorvastatin Calcium
Atorvastatin Calcium
364 claims
- Omeprazole
Omeprazole
309 claims
- Pantoprazole Sodium
Pantoprazole Sodium
293 claims
- Levothyroxine Sodium
Levothyroxine Sodium
292 claims
- Alprazolam
Alprazolam
289 claims
- Lisinopril
Lisinopril
272 claims
- Albuterol Sulfate …
Albuterol Sulfate Hfa
271 claims
- Rosuvastatin Calcium
Rosuvastatin Calcium
266 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 364 |
| Omeprazole | 309 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 293 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 292 |
| Alprazolam | 289 |
| Lisinopril | 272 |
| Albuterol Sulfate Hfa Albuterol Sulfate | 271 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 266 |
| Metformin Hcl | 265 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 206 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Family Medicine Physician Overview
How Brian Kauth, MD fits within the Family Medicine Physician landscape nationally.
147,760
Family Medicine Physician Providers in US
56
States with Family Medicine Physician
3,418
Avg Claims per Provider
Brian Kauth, MD's 9,456 claims are above the specialty average of 3,418.
Nearby Family Medicine Physician Providers in North Carolina
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in North Carolina, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Kauth.
Dr. Alvin Abaqueta
M.D.
Charlotte, NC
Dr. Atif Abbasi
M.D
Greenville, NC
Dr. Jennifer Abbott
MD
Asheville, NC
Dr. Linda Abbott
FNP
Edenton, NC
Dr. Thomas Abbott
MD
Winston-Salem, NC
Compare Family Medicine Physician 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 North Carolina medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Family Medicine Physician 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.
Healthcare Guides
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How to Find a Doctor
Step-by-step guide to choosing a provider
Verify Credentials
Check NPI, board certification & license status
Medical Specialties Explained
Who treats what and how specialties differ
Understanding Medicare Claims Data
What prescribing data reveals about a provider
In-Network vs Out-of-Network
How insurance networks affect your costs
Telehealth Guide
Virtual care options and coverage in 2026
Explore North Carolina
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brian Kauth, MD's specialty? ▼
Brian Kauth, MD specializes in Family Medicine Physician and practices in Hickory, North Carolina. Credentials: MD.
How much does Brian Kauth, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Brian Kauth, MD wrote 9,456 Medicare Part D claims totaling $1.0M in drug costs for 563 beneficiaries.
Where is Brian Kauth, MD located? ▼
Brian Kauth, MD is located at 2365 SPRINGS RD NE, Hickory, NC, 28601. Phone: (828) 256-2112.
What is Brian Kauth, MD's NPI number? ▼
Brian Kauth, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1780797803, issued on 08/15/2006.
Does Brian Kauth, MD prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Brian Kauth, MD's prescribing is 14% brand-name and 85% generic drugs by claim count, with $856K in brand drug costs.
Does Brian Kauth, MD prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Brian Kauth, MD had 172 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 1.8%.
How many Family Medicine Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 147,760 Family Medicine Physician providers across 56 states in the US. The average Family Medicine Physician provider writes 3,418 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Brian Kauth, MD prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Brian Kauth, MD's most frequently prescribed drugs include Atorvastatin Calcium, Omeprazole, Pantoprazole Sodium. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Brian Kauth, MD accept Medicare? ▼
Brian Kauth, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 9,456 Part D claims and 563 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Brian Kauth, MD's credentials? ▼
Brian Kauth, MD's NPI is 1780797803 with credentials MD. 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 (2023). Includes claims, drug costs, beneficiaries, and opioid prescribing rates.
- 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
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 May 2026.