2026 NPPES data Family Medicine Physician NPI 1972502425 M.D.
Verify on CMS →

CLIFTON COLE, M.D.

Family Medicine Physician in PALM SPRINGS, California. CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System profile including specialty classification, practice address, and Medicare prescribing data when reported.

Federal data — no proprietary rating. PlainDoctor publishes the actual CMS NPPES and Medicare records — NPI registration, specialty, practice location, and prescribing data — without a composite score or editorial opinion on top. Every field traces to a federal source.
Prescribing volume
4K
Medicare Part D claims · 180 beneficiaries · Family Medicine Physician avg: 3K
Generic prescribing
85%
generic claims · 15% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
Industry payments
$117.91
1 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)

What the federal data shows

CLIFTON COLE, M.D. filed 3,657 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 as a Family Medicine Physician in PALM SPRINGS, California, prescribing 85% generic.

4K
Part D claims, 2023
85%
generic prescribing
$117.91
industry payments (Sunshine Act)

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.

CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber

Total Medicare Part D claims, 2023 — across all CMS prescribers nationally

3,657 Top 9% higher than 91% of 1,370,886 prescribers

0–200: 670,926 prescribers (49%). Below this entry. 200–400: 182,923 prescribers (13%). Below this entry. 400–600: 90,619 prescribers (7%). Below this entry. 600–800: 56,224 prescribers (4%). Below this entry. 800–1,000: 40,919 prescribers (3%). Below this entry. 1,000–1,200: 31,827 prescribers (2%). Below this entry. 1,200–1,400: 26,224 prescribers (2%). Below this entry. 1,400–1,600: 21,710 prescribers (2%). Below this entry. 1,600–1,800: 19,072 prescribers (1%). Below this entry. 1,800–2,000: 16,451 prescribers (1%). Below this entry. 2,000–2,200: 213,991 prescribers (16%). This entry sits in this band. This provider 0 2K+ every Part D prescriber (claims/yr), bucketed by value

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.

Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File · 2023

Board-eligible specialty (heuristic — not verified)

CLIFTON COLE, M.D. 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 CLIFTON COLE, M.D.?

Quality data not reported

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 07/18/2005

NPI 1972502425

Primary specialty

Family Medicine Physician

High-volume

147,640 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

3,657 7% vs specialty avg

2023 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 3,418

Specialty distribution in California

How Family Medicine Physician compares to other specialties among California providers

California providers

Family Medicine Physician share within California

1. Family Medicine Physician42%2. Internal medicine21%3. Family medicine17%4. Surgical12%5. Pediatric8%
Family Medicine Physician share within California

Specialty board-certification context

Estimated specialty board-certified rate — Family Medicine Physician (ABMS / AOA reference)

Quality data not reported
Est. board-certified rate
78%
Family Medicine Physician ABMS/AOA estimate

Est. board-certified rate (Family Medicine Physician) — ABMS / AOA estimate

0%100%78%
Est. board-certified rate (Family Medicine Physician) — ABMS / AOA estimate

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).

CLIFTON COLE, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Family Medicine Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 255 N EL CIELO RD, PALM SPRINGS, CA, 92262, with a listed phone of (760) 320-6677. NPI 1972502425 was issued on 07/18/2005. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what COLE 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 3,657 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 180 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $226K in drug spend, split 15% brand-name and 85% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 2.5%. 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.

Family Medicine Physician is a high-volume specialty nationwide, with 147,640 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

255 N EL CIELO RD
PALM SPRINGS, CA 92262

Provider Details

NPI 1972502425
Specialty Family Medicine Physician
Credentials M.D.
Gender Male
NPI Issued 07/18/2005

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 CLIFTON COLE, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$118

Largest payer

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP

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.

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 CLIFTON COLE, M.D.. To verify CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s current license status, search the MBC public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.

576
Total board actions, California 2023
Across 556 cases
3.84
Actions per 1,000 licensees
California statewide rate
probation
Most common action type
186 cases

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 · Typical

CLIFTON COLE, M.D. — brand share 15.0%
Specialty average (est.)

15% brand-name claims vs 85% generic, on 3,657 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.

3,657
Total Claims
$226K
Total Drug Cost
180
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
3,738
Total Day Supply
92,317
Brand vs Generic
15% brand / 85% generic
Brand Drug Cost
$168K
Generic Drug Cost
$57K
Opioid Claims
90 (2.5% rate)
Antibiotic Claims
95

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
83.3 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
2.27
Gender Split
58% female / 42% male

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.

What CLIFTON COLE, M.D. prescribes most

Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023

claims
Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File As of 2023
Drug Claims
Atorvastatin Calcium
200
Levothyroxine Sodium
184
Furosemide
166
Eliquis
Apixaban
139
Amlodipine Besylate
110
Quetiapine Fumarate
94
Metformin Hcl
86
Gabapentin
81
Lisinopril
78
Lorazepam
74

* 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 CLIFTON COLE, M.D. fits within the Family Medicine Physician landscape nationally.

147,640
Family Medicine Physician Providers in US
56
States with Family Medicine Physician
3,418
Avg Claims per Provider

CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s 3,657 claims are above the specialty average of 3,418.

Nearby Family Medicine Physician Providers in California

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

Compare Family Medicine Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s specialty?
CLIFTON COLE, M.D. specializes in Family Medicine Physician and practices in PALM SPRINGS, California. Credentials: M.D..
How much does CLIFTON COLE, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2023, CLIFTON COLE, M.D. wrote 3,657 Medicare Part D claims totaling $226K in drug costs for 180 beneficiaries.
Where is CLIFTON COLE, M.D. located?
CLIFTON COLE, M.D. is located at 255 N EL CIELO RD, PALM SPRINGS, CA, 92262. Phone: (760) 320-6677.
What is CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s NPI number?
CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1972502425, issued on 07/18/2005.
Does CLIFTON COLE, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs?
CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s prescribing is 15% brand-name and 85% generic drugs by claim count, with $168K in brand drug costs.
Does CLIFTON COLE, M.D. prescribe opioids?
Yes, CLIFTON COLE, M.D. had 90 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 2.5%.
How many Family Medicine Physician providers are there in the US?
There are 147,640 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 CLIFTON COLE, M.D. prescribe most often?
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Atorvastatin Calcium, Levothyroxine Sodium, Furosemide. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does CLIFTON COLE, M.D. accept Medicare?
CLIFTON COLE, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 3,657 Part D claims and 180 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s credentials?
CLIFTON COLE, M.D.'s NPI is 1972502425 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

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