NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Body Imaging Physician NPI 1710995063 M.D.
Verify on CMS → Daniel Hightower, M.D.
Body Imaging Physician in Monterey, 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 1,910 in Body Imaging 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
30
Medicare Part D claims · 12 beneficiaries · Body Imaging Physician avg: 48
MIPS score
84/100
▲ 1 pts above national avg 83.5 · Above neutral
Industry payments
$246.87
4 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
What the federal data shows
Daniel Hightower, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 84/100 - above the 83.5 national average - and filed 30 Medicare Part D claims in 2024.
- 84/100
- MIPS score · +1 vs avg
- 30
- Part D claims, 2024
- Likely
- board-certified (heuristic)
- ≥42nd
- pct among measured MIPS (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.
Federal trust snapshot
What official records show about Daniel Hightower, 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 1710995063), first enumerated 08/03/2006.
Source: CMS NPPES
- Reported
Medicare Part D participation
Filed 30 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 84/100 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.
- Reported
Hospital affiliations
1 CMS Care Compare hospital affiliation on record — practice footprint from the Doctors and Clinicians file.
Source: CMS Care Compare
- Reported
Industry payment transparency
$246.87 in reported industry payments (4 transfers) in 2024 under the federal Sunshine Act — disclosed transfers of value, not a quality rating.
Source: CMS Open Payments
- State context
State board disciplinary context
California statewide board action statistics are published annually — these figures describe aggregate state activity, not Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s individual license status. Verify directly with the state medical board.
Source: MBC annual report 2023
- 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 1710995063 · Body Imaging Physician
NPI-10 · ENUM-LEGACY · TAX-NARROW · MIPS-INLINE · RX-TRACE · BOOK-THIN · PHOTO-FINISH
- NPI-10 1710995063
- ENUM-LEGACY 2006
- TAX-NARROW 1,910
- MIPS-INLINE 84/100
- RX-TRACE 30
- BOOK-THIN 417 in California
- PHOTO-FINISH Sunit Sebastian, M.D. · ±0.1
MIPS final-score neighbourhood
Same-specialty nationwide peers by CMS final score, not geographic proximity
- Hightower · this…
Hightower · this provider
84 MIPS pts
- Jessica Lastig, …
Jessica Lastig, M.D.
84.1 MIPS pts
- Sunit Sebastian,…
Sunit Sebastian, M.D.
84.1 MIPS pts
- Elliot Kalker, M…
Elliot Kalker, M.D.
84.1 MIPS pts
- Adam Landskowsky…
Adam Landskowsky, M.D.
84.1 MIPS pts
What this shows Nearest measured MIPS peers for this NUCC specialty (2023 performance year).
Daniel Hightower, 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.
84 ≥ 42nd percentile 42% of 454,083 measured providers are in lower value bands
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 Daniel Hightower, M.D. sits
This provider among body imaging physician peers
Across the 26 body imaging physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Daniel Hightower, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 69% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 35% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.
Each dot is one body imaging physician peer from a representative sample of 25; the gold marker is Daniel Hightower, M.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Daniel Hightower, 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 Daniel Hightower, M.D.?
Near national averagePrimary specialty
Body Imaging Physician
Medicare Part D claims
30 37% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
84/100 0.5 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in California
How Body Imaging Physician compares to other specialties among California providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Body Imaging Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 84/100
- vs 83.5 national avg · 2023 performance year
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
Provider Details
| NPI | 1710995063 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Body Imaging Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 08/03/2006 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
84.006
Final Score
Measured-score avg: 83.5
83.0673
Quality
63.6195
Cost
100
Promoting Interoperability
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Daniel Hightower, 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.
Community Hospital OF The Monterey Peninsula
★★★★☆ 4/5
Monterey, CA
Acute Care Hospitals
CMS CCN: 050145
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 Daniel Hightower, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$247
Largest payer
Penumbra, 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.
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 Daniel Hightower, M.D.. To verify Daniel Hightower, 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.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2024.
30
Total Claims
$10K
Total Drug Cost
12
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 37.133
- Total Day Supply
- 695
- Generic Drug Cost
- $273
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 71.7 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 0.58
- Age Distribution
- <65: 0, 65-74: N/A, 75-84: N/A, 85+: 0
Body Imaging Physician Overview
How Daniel Hightower, M.D. fits within the Body Imaging Physician landscape nationally.
1,910
Body Imaging Physician Providers in US
51
States with Body Imaging Physician
48
Avg Claims per Provider
Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s 30 claims are below the specialty average of 48.
Nationwide Body Imaging Physician peers with similar MIPS or enrollment year
Two federal-record peer sets for Hightower, both outside California so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar MIPS final score
Nearest same-specialty clinicians by CMS MIPS final score (84 here).
Same NPPES enumeration year (2006)
Same-specialty clinicians who entered the NPI registry in the same calendar year, outside this state.
Nearby Body Imaging Physician Providers in California
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in California, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Hightower.
One of 417 Body Imaging Physician providers enrolled in California, 5 are shown here.
Abdelrahman Abdelazim
M.B.B.CH
El Segundo, CA
Reham Aboughali
Torrance, CA
Dr. Snehal Adodra
MD
San Jose, CA
Dr. Robert Agulnek
M.D.
Sherman Oaks, CA
Dr. Bilal Ahmed
M.D.
San Francisco, CA
Compare Body Imaging Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Daniel Hightower, M.D. specializes in Body Imaging Physician and practices in Monterey, California. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Daniel Hightower, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2024, Daniel Hightower, M.D. wrote 30 Medicare Part D claims totaling $10K in drug costs for 12 beneficiaries.
What is Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Daniel Hightower, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 84/100 (Quality: 83.1, Cost: 63.6). 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 Daniel Hightower, M.D. located? ▼
Daniel Hightower, M.D. is located at 23625 HOLMAN HWY, Monterey, CA, 93940. Phone: (831) 624-5311.
What is Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1710995063, issued on 08/03/2006.
How many Body Imaging Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 1,910 Body Imaging Physician providers across 51 states in the US. The average Body Imaging Physician provider writes 48 Medicare Part D claims per year.
Does Daniel Hightower, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Daniel Hightower, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 30 Part D claims and 12 Medicare beneficiaries in 2024. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Daniel Hightower, M.D.'s NPI is 1710995063 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
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.