NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician NPI 1154522407 M.D.
Verify on CMS → Christian Hester, M.D.
Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician in Little Rock, Arkansas.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 294 in Cornea and External Diseases Specialist 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
2K
Medicare Part D claims · 575 beneficiaries · Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician avg: 1K
Generic prescribing
52%
generic claims · 48% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
MIPS score
100/100
▲ 17 pts above national avg 83.1 · Exceptional
Industry payments
$1.8K
21 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2023
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.
What the federal data shows
Christian Hester, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 100/100 - above the 83.1 national average - and filed 1,928 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 100/100
- MIPS score · +17 vs avg
- 2K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 52%
- 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.
Christian Hester, M.D.'s MIPS score vs every scored U.S. clinician
CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023, the federal quality measure
100 Top 7% higher than 93% 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 Christian Hester, M.D. sits
This provider among cornea and external diseases specialist physician peers
Across the 165 cornea and external diseases specialist physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Christian Hester, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 76% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 87% - placing this provider in the high-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 cornea and external diseases specialist physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Christian Hester, M.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Christian Hester, M.D. practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting + 1 hospital affiliation - 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 Christian Hester, M.D.?
High performer (top quartile)Primary specialty
Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician
Medicare Part D claims
1,928 56% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
100/100 16.9 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in Arkansas
How Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician compares to other specialties among Arkansas providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Christian Hester, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 100/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician) - 100/100 vs national avg 83.1
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).
Christian Hester, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 201 EXECUTIVE CT, Little Rock, AR, 72205, with a listed phone of (501) 224-5658. NPI 1154522407 was issued on 05/31/2007.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 1,928 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 575 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $456K in drug spend, split 48% brand-name and 52% generic by claim count. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 100/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 100), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician is a narrow specialty nationwide, with 294 enrolled providers across 43 states and an average of 1,232 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 | 1154522407 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 05/31/2007 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
100
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
100
Quality
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Christian Hester, M.D. bills Medicare from. Star ratings (1-5) are CMS Hospital Compare's "Hospital overall rating" - a composite of mortality, readmission, patient experience, safety, timely care, and efficient use of medical imaging measures. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Little Rock Eye Clinic LLP
Little Rock, AR
Affiliations sourced from CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File; hospital ratings from CMS Hospital General Information dataset (cross-referenced by facility name + state).
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 Christian Hester, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$1.8K
Largest payer
Bausch & Lomb Americas 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 · Above average
Christian Hester, M.D. - brand share 48.0%
Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician average
48% brand-name claims vs 52% generic, on 1,928 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.
1,928
Total Claims
$456K
Total Drug Cost
575
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 2,595
- Total Day Supply
- 69,569
- Brand vs Generic
- 48% brand / 52% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $427K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $28K
- Antibiotic Claims
- 19
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 73.4 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.08
- Gender Split
- 61% female / 39% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 39, 65-74: 275, 75-84: 225, 85+: 36
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Christian Hester, M.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Prednisolone Acetate
Prednisolone Acetate
669 claims
- Ketorolac Trometha…
Ketorolac Tromethamine
318 claims
- Ofloxacin
Ofloxacin
314 claims
- Fluorometholone 161
Fluorometholone
161 claims
- Erythromycin 61
Erythromycin
61 claims
- Moxifloxacin 59
Moxifloxacin
59 claims
- Timolol Maleate 45
Timolol Maleate
45 claims
- Valacyclovir 42
Valacyclovir
42 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Prednisolone Acetate | 669 |
| Ketorolac Tromethamine | 318 |
| Ofloxacin | 314 |
| Fluorometholone | 161 |
| Erythromycin Erythromycin Base | 61 |
| Moxifloxacin Moxifloxacin Hcl | 59 |
| Timolol Maleate | 45 |
| Valacyclovir Valacyclovir Hcl | 42 |
| Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate | 24 |
| Latanoprost | 23 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
More Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician in AR →
All providers in Arkansas →
Compare specialties →
Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician Overview
How Christian Hester, M.D. fits within the Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician landscape nationally.
294
Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician Providers in US
43
States with Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician
1,232
Avg Claims per Provider
Christian Hester, M.D.'s 1,928 claims are above the specialty average of 1,232.
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 Arkansas medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Cornea and External Diseases Specialist 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
Learn more about finding, verifying, and understanding healthcare providers.
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 Arkansas
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Christian Hester, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Christian Hester, M.D. specializes in Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician and practices in Little Rock, Arkansas. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Christian Hester, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Christian Hester, M.D. wrote 1,928 Medicare Part D claims totaling $456K in drug costs for 575 beneficiaries.
What is Christian Hester, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Christian Hester, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 100/100 (Quality: 100). The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Christian Hester, M.D. located? ▼
Christian Hester, M.D. is located at 201 EXECUTIVE CT, Little Rock, AR, 72205. Phone: (501) 224-5658.
What is Christian Hester, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Christian Hester, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1154522407, issued on 05/31/2007.
Does Christian Hester, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Christian Hester, M.D.'s prescribing is 48% brand-name and 52% generic drugs by claim count, with $427K in brand drug costs.
How many Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 294 Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician providers across 43 states in the US. The average Cornea and External Diseases Specialist Physician provider writes 1,232 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Christian Hester, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Christian Hester, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Prednisolone Acetate, Ketorolac Tromethamine, Ofloxacin. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Christian Hester, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Christian Hester, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 1,928 Part D claims and 575 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Christian Hester, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Christian Hester, M.D.'s NPI is 1154522407 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 (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
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.