Darrell E. Hester, MD
Ophthalmology Physician · Wilmington, NC
Darrell E. Hester, MD is an ophthalmology physician with a practice address in Wilmington, North Carolina, and NPI 1134210586, issued on Sep 28, 2006. Check the license (North Carolina 34349, as entered in NPPES) on the North Carolina Medical Board; the Medicare figures below come from public CMS files.
- Name
- Darrell E. Hester
- Credential
- MD
- Primary taxonomy
- Ophthalmology Physician 207W00000X
- License number
- 34349 NC
Self-reported in NPPES; status is on the state search - Practice location
- 1915 S 17TH St Ste 101, Wilmington, NC 28401
- Phone
- (910) 251-8200
- Enumerated
- Sep 28, 2006
- Record last updated
- Jan 7, 2015 (not updated in 11 years: call before relying on the address or phone)
- Fax
- (910) 251-8204
- Medicaid ID
- 1134210586 NC
- Medicare enrollment
- Enrolled (PECOS I20120229000500); accepts Medicare assignment
- Medical or professional school
- University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill School Of Medicine, 1987
- Entity
- Type 1 · individual
8 nearest ophthalmology physician records → All 688 in North Carolina → Look up another NPI →
Also registered at 1915 S 17TH St Ste 101
A shared address usually means a shared clinic or building; it does not show who employs whom.
- Brian Groat, M.D.Ophthalmology Physician1841271228
- Justin Needham, M.D.Ophthalmology Physician1699923516
Verify Darrell E. Hester in five checks
- 1IdentityNPI record in CMS NPPESNPI lookupConfirmed in NPPES
- 2LicenseActive license and public ordersNorth Carolina Medical Board
Search for license 34349Check the board - 3Other statesLicenses and actions elsewhereDocInfo (FSMB)Not checked
- 4ExclusionsMedicare and Medicaid bansHHS-OIG exclusion listNot checked
- 5CertificationBoard certificationABMS AOA NCCPA AANPNot checked
15% fewer Medicare Part D claims than the average ophthalmology physician in 2024
1,297 Medicare Part D claims for 310 beneficiaries, against an average of 1,518 among the 16,459 providers of this specialty who prescribed in Part D. Brand-name drugs were 27% of claims.
Most prescribed
- Latanoprost268 claims
- Prednisolone Acetate253 claims
- Ketorolac Tromethamine250 claims
- Ofloxacin223 claims
- Timolol Maleate81 claims
- Erythromycin65 claims
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug, 2024 (data.cms.gov). Part D covers prescriptions for Medicare patients only; drugs with fewer than 11 claims are not published.
The MIPS final score for 2023 (Medicare payment program): 99 of 100
The Merit-based Incentive Payment System score is reported for this clinician. Four categories are weighted into the final score; the average among 454,083 clinicians with a measured score was 83.5.
Source: CMS Quality Payment Program, MIPS performance year 2023; category weights for 2023 (qpp.cms.gov).
Industry payments in 2024: $155.84
2 payments; by number, the most common kind was food and beverage; the largest payer was RxSight Inc. The 13,221 providers of this specialty with any payment received $4,535.02 on average. Payments are reported by manufacturers, not by the provider, and are not a sign of wrongdoing.
Source: CMS Open Payments, program year 2024 (openpaymentsdata.cms.gov); average among providers of this specialty with at least one payment.
Darrell E. Hester among 688 ophthalmology physician records in North Carolina
Darrell E. Hester, MD is one of 688 ophthalmology physician records with a practice address in North Carolina. 77% of them appear in a Medicare file (Part D prescribing, MIPS, Open Payments or Medicare group billing); this one does. Its NPI, issued in 2006, is newer than 18% of them.
- NPI issued2006 · 18% of these records are older, 44% newer
- In a Medicare fileYes · 77% of these records are
- In the CMS Doctors and Clinicians fileYes · 67% of these records are
- Graduated1987 · median 2004 among the 463 with a school on file
- Record last updated2015 · 60% of these records were not updated in five years or more
Source: CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026, every record with primary taxonomy 207W00000X and a North Carolina practice address; Medicare files: CMS Part D Prescribers 2024, MIPS 2023, Open Payments 2024, Doctors and Clinicians (data.cms.gov).
Ophthalmology Physician providers in North Carolina
There are 688 ophthalmology physician records in North Carolina.
All 688 in North Carolina → Every provider in Wilmington → Ophthalmology Physician nationwide →
The 8 ophthalmology physician records with the nearest ZIP codes
- Robert Brownlow, M.D.Wilmington, NC 284011568425403
- George Escaravage, MDWilmington, NC 284011205881612
- Brian Groat, M.D.Wilmington, NC 284011841271228
- Timothy Kelly, M.D.Wilmington, NC 284011497758825
- James Kesler, M.D.Wilmington, NC 284011285677245
- Justin Needham, M.D.Wilmington, NC 284011699923516
- Mary Price, M.D.Wilmington, NC 284011821107772
- Susan Andracchi, MDWilmington, NC 284031205835915
Common questions
What is Darrell E. Hester, MD's NPI number?
Darrell E. Hester, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1134210586, issued on Sep 28, 2006. An NPI identifies a provider in billing; it is not a license.
Where is Darrell E. Hester, MD located?
The NPPES record lists a practice address at 1915 S 17TH St Ste 101, Wilmington, NC, 28401. Phone: (910) 251-8200. Providers update this record themselves, so call before visiting.
How can I verify Darrell E. Hester, MD's license?
NPPES lists North Carolina license number 34349, as entered by the provider. Search the North Carolina Medical Board at https://portal.ncmedboard.org/verification/search.aspx. The NPPES record confirms identity only; the state search shows license status, expiration and public orders.
How much does Darrell E. Hester, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2024, Darrell E. Hester, MD had 1,297 Medicare Part D claims for 310 beneficiaries; the average among ophthalmology physician prescribers was 1,518. Part D covers Medicare prescriptions only.
What is Darrell E. Hester, MD's MIPS final score?
The 2023 MIPS final score is 99 of 100. The average among 454,083 clinicians with a measured score was 83.5.
Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), file of Aug 9, 2026 (NPPES files on CMS.gov); NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy. Medicare files from data.cms.gov. An NPI identifies who bills; it is not a license.
Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of Aug 9, 2026.