2026 NPPES data Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician NPI 1649232133 M.D.
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GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician in COVINGTON, Louisiana. 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
389
Medicare Part D claims · 161 beneficiaries · Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician avg: 128
Generic prescribing
95%
generic claims · 5% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
Industry payments
$3.4K
31 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)

What the federal data shows

GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. filed 389 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 as a Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician in COVINGTON, Louisiana, prescribing 95% generic.

389
Part D claims, 2023
95%
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.

GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber

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

389 Top 43% higher than 57% of 1,370,886 prescribers

0–200: 670,926 prescribers (49%). Below this entry. 200–400: 182,923 prescribers (13%). This entry sits in this band. 400–600: 90,619 prescribers (7%). Above this entry. 600–800: 56,224 prescribers (4%). Above this entry. 800–1,000: 40,919 prescribers (3%). Above this entry. 1,000–1,200: 31,827 prescribers (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,400: 26,224 prescribers (2%). Above this entry. 1,400–1,600: 21,710 prescribers (2%). Above this entry. 1,600–1,800: 19,072 prescribers (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–2,000: 16,451 prescribers (1%). Above this entry. 2,000–2,200: 213,991 prescribers (16%). Above this entry. 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 certification likely (heuristic — not verified)

GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + 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 GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.?

Quality data not reported

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 04/03/2006

NPI 1649232133

Primary specialty

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician

Mid-sized

5,062 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

389 204% vs specialty avg

2023 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 128

Specialty distribution in Louisiana

How Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician compares to other specialties among Louisiana providers

Louisiana providers

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician share within Louisiana

1. Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician42%2. Internal medicine21%3. Family medicine17%4. Surgical12%5. Pediatric8%
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician share within Louisiana

Specialty board-certification context

Estimated specialty board-certified rate — Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician (ABMS / AOA reference)

Quality data not reported
Est. board-certified rate
78%
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician ABMS/AOA estimate

Est. board-certified rate (Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician) — ABMS / AOA estimate

0%100%78%
Est. board-certified rate (Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) 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).

GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. is a Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician provider practicing in COVINGTON, Louisiana, according to the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Credentials: M.D.. NPI: 1649232133. This profile includes practice location, specialty classification, and organizational affiliations from the CMS provider registry. Provider information is self-reported to CMS and updated monthly.

GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 1000 OCHSNER BLVD, COVINGTON, LA, 70433, with a listed phone of (985) 875-2828. NPI 1649232133 was issued on 04/03/2006. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what ECKHOLDT 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 389 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 161 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $15K in drug spend, split 5% brand-name and 95% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 15.4%. 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.

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 5,062 enrolled providers across 52 states and an average of 128 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

1000 OCHSNER BLVD
COVINGTON, LA 70433

Provider Details

NPI 1649232133
Specialty Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician
Credentials M.D.
Gender Male
NPI Issued 04/03/2006

Hospital and facility affiliations

Facilities where GREGORY ECKHOLDT, 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.

OCHSNER CLINIC LLC
COVINGTON, LA

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 GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$3.4K

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.

Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Generic-heavy

GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. — brand share 5.0%
Specialty average (est.)

5% brand-name claims vs 95% generic, on 389 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.

389
Total Claims
$15K
Total Drug Cost
161
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
478
Total Day Supply
9,541
Brand vs Generic
5% brand / 95% generic
Brand Drug Cost
$12K
Generic Drug Cost
$3K
Opioid Claims
60 (15.4% rate)
Antibiotic Claims
17

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
73.2 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
1.77
Gender Split
45% female / 55% male
Age Distribution
<65: 15, 65-74: 81, 75-84: 54, 85+: 11

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

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

Drug Claims
Mupirocin
76
Chlorhexidine Gluconate
74
Clopidogrel
Clopidogrel Bisulfate
51
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
33
Gabapentin
21
Cilostazol
20
Oxycodone-Acetaminophen
Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen
17
Eliquis
Apixaban
16
Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim
Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim
13

* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.

Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician Overview

How GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. fits within the Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician landscape nationally.

5,062
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician Providers in US
52
States with Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician
128
Avg Claims per Provider

GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s 389 claims are above the specialty average of 128.

Nearby Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician Providers in Louisiana

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

Compare Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s specialty?
GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. specializes in Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician and practices in COVINGTON, Louisiana. Credentials: M.D..
How much does GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2023, GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. wrote 389 Medicare Part D claims totaling $15K in drug costs for 161 beneficiaries.
Where is GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. located?
GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. is located at 1000 OCHSNER BLVD, COVINGTON, LA, 70433. Phone: (985) 875-2828.
What is GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s NPI number?
GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1649232133, issued on 04/03/2006.
Does GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs?
GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s prescribing is 5% brand-name and 95% generic drugs by claim count, with $12K in brand drug costs.
Does GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. prescribe opioids?
Yes, GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. had 60 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 15.4%.
How many Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician providers are there in the US?
There are 5,062 Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician providers across 52 states in the US. The average Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) Physician provider writes 128 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. prescribe most often?
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Mupirocin, Chlorhexidine Gluconate, Clopidogrel. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. accept Medicare?
GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 389 Part D claims and 161 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s credentials?
GREGORY ECKHOLDT, M.D.'s NPI is 1649232133 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