NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Pulmonary Disease Physician NPI 1396990123 MD
Verify on CMS → Heather Howe, MD
Pulmonary Disease Physician in Montrose, Colorado.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 9,647 in Pulmonary Disease 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
778
Medicare Part D claims · 174 beneficiaries · Pulmonary Disease Physician avg: 1K
Generic prescribing
32%
generic claims · 68% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
MIPS score
38.3/100
▼ 45 pts below national avg 83.5 · Below average
Industry payments
$34.88
1 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2024
What the federal data shows
Heather Howe, MD reported a CMS MIPS final score of 38.3/100 - below the 83.5 national average - and filed 778 Medicare Part D claims in 2024.
- 38.3/100
- MIPS score · -45 vs avg
- 778
- Part D claims, 2024
- 32%
- 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.
Federal trust snapshot
What official records show about Heather Howe, MD
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 1396990123), first enumerated 11/20/2008.
Source: CMS NPPES
- Reported
Medicare Part D participation
Filed 778 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 38.3/100 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
2 CMS Care Compare hospital affiliations on record — practice footprint from the Doctors and Clinicians file.
Source: CMS Care Compare
- Reported
Industry payment transparency
$34.88 in reported industry payments (1 transfers) in 2024 under the federal Sunshine Act — disclosed transfers of value, not a quality rating.
Source: CMS Open Payments
- 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 1396990123 · Pulmonary Disease Physician
NPI-10 · ENUM-MID · TAX-MID · MIPS-LOW · RX-LIGHT · BOOK-THIN · PHOTO-FINISH
- NPI-10 1396990123
- ENUM-MID 2008
- TAX-MID 10K Pulmonary Disease
- MIPS-LOW 38.3/100
- RX-LIGHT 778
- BOOK-THIN 181 in Colorado
- PHOTO-FINISH Pervaiz Iqbal · ±1.0
MIPS final-score neighbourhood
Same-specialty nationwide peers by CMS final score, not geographic proximity
- Kevin Gilmour · …
Kevin Gilmour
37.1 MIPS pts
- Brian White · near
Brian White
37.1 MIPS pts
- Howe · this prov…
Howe · this provider
38.3 MIPS pts
- Pervaiz Iqbal · …
Pervaiz Iqbal
39.3 MIPS pts
What this shows Nearest measured MIPS peers for this NUCC specialty (2023 performance year).
Heather Howe, MD'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.
38 ≥ 4th percentile 4% 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 Heather Howe, MD sits
This provider among pulmonary disease physician peers
Across the 2,467 pulmonary disease physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Heather Howe, MD writes more Part D claims than 43% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 6% - placing this provider in the lower-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.
Each dot is one pulmonary disease physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Heather Howe, MD. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Heather Howe, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting + 2 hospital affiliations - 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 Heather Howe, MD?
Below national averagePrimary specialty
Pulmonary Disease Physician
Medicare Part D claims
778 48% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
38.3/100 45.2 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in Colorado
How Pulmonary Disease Physician compares to other specialties among Colorado providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Heather Howe, MD's 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Pulmonary Disease Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 38.3/100
- 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 | 1396990123 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Pulmonary Disease Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Female |
| NPI Issued | 11/20/2008 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
38.2896
Final Score
Measured-score avg: 83.5
0
Quality
45.9653
Cost
98
Promoting Interoperability
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Heather Howe, MD 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.
Montrose Memorial Hospital, Inc
Montrose, CO
Southwest Health System Inc
Cortez, CO
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 Heather Howe, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$35
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.
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Brand-heavy
Heather Howe, MD - brand share 68.0%
Pulmonary Disease Physician average
68% brand-name claims vs 32% generic, on 778 2024 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 2024.
778
Total Claims
$554K
Total Drug Cost
174
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 1,108.133
- Total Day Supply
- 30,771
- Brand vs Generic
- 68% brand / 32% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $533K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $22K
- Antibiotic Claims
- 42
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 72.7 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.46
- Gender Split
- 58% female / 42% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 27, 65-74: 73, 75-84: 63, 85+: 11
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2024. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Heather Howe, MD prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2024
- Trelegy Ellipta
Trelegy Ellipta
82 claims
- Anoro Ellipta
Anoro Ellipta
64 claims
- Breo Ellipta
Breo Ellipta
59 claims
- Stiolto Respimat
Stiolto Respimat
52 claims
- Albuterol Sulfate …
Albuterol Sulfate Hfa
49 claims
- Prednisone
Prednisone
47 claims
- Symbicort
Symbicort
41 claims
- Breztri Aerosphere
Breztri Aerosphere
37 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Trelegy Ellipta Fluticasone/Umeclidin/Vilanter | 82 |
| Anoro Ellipta Umeclidinium Brm/Vilanterol Tr | 64 |
| Breo Ellipta Fluticasone/Vilanterol | 59 |
| Stiolto Respimat Tiotropium Br/Olodaterol Hcl | 52 |
| Albuterol Sulfate Hfa Albuterol Sulfate | 49 |
| Prednisone | 47 |
| Symbicort Budesonide/Formoterol Fumarate | 41 |
| Breztri Aerosphere Budesonide/Glycopyr/Formoterol | 37 |
| Varenicline Tartrate | 32 |
| Azithromycin | 28 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Pulmonary Disease Physician Overview
How Heather Howe, MD fits within the Pulmonary Disease Physician landscape nationally.
9,647
Pulmonary Disease Physician Providers in US
53
States with Pulmonary Disease Physician
1,498
Avg Claims per Provider
Heather Howe, MD's 778 claims are below the specialty average of 1,498.
Nationwide Pulmonary Disease Physician peers with similar MIPS or enrollment year
Two federal-record peer sets for Howe, both outside Colorado so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar MIPS final score
Nearest same-specialty clinicians by CMS MIPS final score (38.3 here).
Same NPPES enumeration year (2008)
Same-specialty clinicians who entered the NPI registry in the same calendar year, outside this state.
Nearby Pulmonary Disease Physician Providers in Colorado
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Colorado, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Howe.
One of 181 Pulmonary Disease Physician providers enrolled in Colorado, 5 are shown here.
Dr. Richard Albert
MD
Aurora, CO
William Alling
Pueblo, CO
Dr. Ahmad Alsaleem
M.D.
Greenwood Village, CO
Dr. Sam Ancheril
MD
Greenwood Village, CO
Dr. Jess Anderson
D.O
Grand Junction, CO
Compare Pulmonary Disease Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Heather Howe, MD's specialty? ▼
Heather Howe, MD specializes in Pulmonary Disease Physician and practices in Montrose, Colorado. Credentials: MD.
How much does Heather Howe, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2024, Heather Howe, MD wrote 778 Medicare Part D claims totaling $554K in drug costs for 174 beneficiaries.
What is Heather Howe, MD's Medicare quality score? ▼
Heather Howe, MD has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 38.3/100 (Quality: 0, Cost: 46). 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 Heather Howe, MD located? ▼
Heather Howe, MD is located at 904 S 4TH ST, Montrose, CO, 81401. Phone: (970) 252-2753.
What is Heather Howe, MD's NPI number? ▼
Heather Howe, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1396990123, issued on 11/20/2008.
Does Heather Howe, MD prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Heather Howe, MD's prescribing is 68% brand-name and 32% generic drugs by claim count, with $533K in brand drug costs.
How many Pulmonary Disease Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 9,647 Pulmonary Disease Physician providers across 53 states in the US. The average Pulmonary Disease Physician provider writes 1,498 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Heather Howe, MD prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2024 Medicare Part D data, Heather Howe, MD's most frequently prescribed drugs include Trelegy Ellipta, Anoro Ellipta, Breo Ellipta. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Heather Howe, MD accept Medicare? ▼
Heather Howe, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 778 Part D claims and 174 Medicare beneficiaries in 2024. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Heather Howe, MD's credentials? ▼
Heather Howe, MD's NPI is 1396990123 with credentials MD. 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.