NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Internal Medicine Physician NPI 1629198726 M.D.
Verify on CMS → Erica Hightower, M.D.
Internal Medicine Physician in Houston, Texas.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 172,737 in Internal 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
2K
Medicare Part D claims · 281 beneficiaries · Internal Medicine Physician avg: 3K
Generic prescribing
42%
generic claims · 48% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
MIPS score
84.9/100
▲ 2 pts above national avg 83.1 · Above neutral
Industry payments
$5.0K
171 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2023
What the federal data shows
Erica Hightower, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 84.9/100 - above the 83.1 national average - and filed 2,381 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 84.9/100
- MIPS score · +2 vs avg
- 2K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 42%
- 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.
Erica Hightower, 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
85 45th percentile higher than 45% 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 Erica Hightower, M.D. sits
This provider among internal medicine physician peers
Across the 36,260 internal medicine physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Erica Hightower, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 68% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 47% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-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 internal medicine physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Erica 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)
Erica 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 Erica Hightower, M.D.?
Near national averagePrimary specialty
Internal Medicine Physician
Medicare Part D claims
2,381 12% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
84.9/100 1.8 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in Texas
How Internal Medicine Physician compares to other specialties among Texas providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Erica Hightower, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Internal Medicine Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 84.9/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Internal Medicine Physician) - 84.9/100 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).
Erica Hightower, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as an Internal Medicine Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 13333 DOTSON RD STE 220, Houston, TX, 77070, with a listed phone of (281) 251-5234. NPI 1629198726 was issued on 03/30/2007.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 2,381 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 281 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $1.4 million in drug spend, split 48% brand-name and 42% generic by claim count. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 84.9/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 96.7, Cost 48), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Internal Medicine Physician is a high-volume specialty nationwide, with 172,737 enrolled providers across 56 states and an average of 2,716 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 | 1629198726 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Internal Medicine Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Female |
| NPI Issued | 03/30/2007 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
84.9188
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
96.6568
Quality
48.0095
Cost
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Erica 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.
Damaris Vega MD PLLC
Cypress, TX
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 Erica Hightower, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$5.0K
Largest payer
Medtronic, 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 - Texas TMB 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 ~77K Texas medical licensees in 2023 - they are NOT specific to Erica Hightower, M.D.. To verify Erica Hightower, M.D.'s current license status, search the TMB public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.
344
Total board actions, Texas 2023
Across 334 cases
4.47
Actions per 1,000 licensees
Texas statewide rate
probation
Most common action type
94 cases
TMB 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 Texas disciplinary trends page. Cross-checked against FSMB U.S. Medical Regulatory Trends.
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Above average
Erica Hightower, M.D. - brand share 48.0%
Internal Medicine Physician average
48% brand-name claims vs 42% generic, on 2,381 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.
2,381
Total Claims
$1.4M
Total Drug Cost
281
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 5,523
- Total Day Supply
- 163,696
- Brand vs Generic
- 48% brand / 42% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $1.3M
- Generic Drug Cost
- $29K
- Antibiotic Claims
- 16
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 70.2 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.91
- Gender Split
- 61% female / 39% male
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Erica Hightower, M.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Ozempic
Ozempic
173 claims
- Metformin Hcl Er
Metformin Hcl Er
165 claims
- Levothyroxine Sodium
Levothyroxine Sodium
131 claims
- Rosuvastatin Calcium
Rosuvastatin Calcium
105 claims
- Trulicity
Trulicity
80 claims
- Xultophy 100-3.6 58
Xultophy 100-3.6
58 claims
- Fiasp Flextouch 57
Fiasp Flextouch
57 claims
- Metformin Hcl 53
Metformin Hcl
53 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Ozempic Semaglutide | 173 |
| Metformin Hcl Er Metformin Hcl | 165 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 131 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 105 |
| Trulicity Dulaglutide | 80 |
| Xultophy 100-3.6 Insulin Degludec/Liraglutide | 58 |
| Fiasp Flextouch Insulin Aspart (Niacinamide) | 57 |
| Metformin Hcl | 53 |
| Lisinopril | 51 |
| Mounjaro Tirzepatide | 50 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Internal Medicine Physician Overview
How Erica Hightower, M.D. fits within the Internal Medicine Physician landscape nationally.
172,737
Internal Medicine Physician Providers in US
56
States with Internal Medicine Physician
2,716
Avg Claims per Provider
Erica Hightower, M.D.'s 2,381 claims are below the specialty average of 2,716.
Nearby Internal Medicine Physician Providers in Texas
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Texas, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Hightower.
Dr. Muhammad A. Sattar
MD
Dallas, TX
Anunaya Aashish
Denton, TX
Dr. Queenie Ann Abad
M.D.
San Antonio, TX
Dr. Fuad Abaleka
M.D
Lubbock, TX
Dr. Carol Abalihi
M.D.
El Paso, TX
Compare Internal 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 Texas medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Internal 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Erica Hightower, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Erica Hightower, M.D. specializes in Internal Medicine Physician and practices in Houston, Texas. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Erica Hightower, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Erica Hightower, M.D. wrote 2,381 Medicare Part D claims totaling $1.4M in drug costs for 281 beneficiaries.
What is Erica Hightower, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Erica Hightower, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 84.9/100 (Quality: 96.7, Cost: 48). The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Erica Hightower, M.D. located? ▼
Erica Hightower, M.D. is located at 13333 DOTSON RD STE 220, Houston, TX, 77070. Phone: (281) 251-5234.
What is Erica Hightower, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Erica Hightower, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1629198726, issued on 03/30/2007.
Does Erica Hightower, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Erica Hightower, M.D.'s prescribing is 48% brand-name and 42% generic drugs by claim count, with $1.3M in brand drug costs.
How many Internal Medicine Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 172,737 Internal Medicine Physician providers across 56 states in the US. The average Internal Medicine Physician provider writes 2,716 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Erica Hightower, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Erica Hightower, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Ozempic, Metformin Hcl Er, Levothyroxine Sodium. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Erica Hightower, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Erica Hightower, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 2,381 Part D claims and 281 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Erica Hightower, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Erica Hightower, M.D.'s NPI is 1629198726 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
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.