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2026 NPPES data Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician NPI 1669478996 M.D.
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Howard Cummings, M.D.

Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician in Kingsport, Tennessee.

This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 917 in Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) 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
490
Medicare Part D claims · 181 beneficiaries · Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician avg: 558
Generic prescribing
80%
generic claims · 20% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
MIPS score
96.3/100
▲ 13 pts above national avg 83.5 · Exceptional
Industry payments
$339.03
9 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Verify NPI on CMS Methodology
Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

What the federal data shows

Howard Cummings, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 96.3/100 - above the 83.5 national average - and filed 490 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.

96.3/100
MIPS score · +13 vs avg
490
Part D claims, 2023
80%
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.

Howard Cummings, 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.

96 ≥ 82nd percentile 82% of 454,083 measured providers are in lower value bands

0–10: 8,684 measured providers (2%). Below this entry. 10–20: 3,008 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 20–30: 3,069 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 30–40: 2,746 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 40–50: 2,928 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,882 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 60–70: 13,906 measured providers (3%). Below this entry. 70–80: 94,570 measured providers (21%). Below this entry. 80–90: 129,887 measured providers (29%). Below this entry. 90+: 189,403 measured providers (42%). This entry sits in this band. This provider 0 100 every measured MIPS clinician, bucketed by value

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 Howard Cummings, M.D. sits

This provider among retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician peers

Across the 548 retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Howard Cummings, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 58% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 43% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.

Lower volume · High qualityHigh volume · High qualityLower volume · Lower qualityHigh volume · Lower quality0255075100017.935.753.671.4Part D claim volume, percentile in specialtyMIPS quality, percentilePoint, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 93 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 32 · MIPS quality, percentile: 40Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 67 · MIPS quality, percentile: 2Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 25 · MIPS quality, percentile: 28Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 22 · MIPS quality, percentile: 7Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 70 · MIPS quality, percentile: 32Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 85 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 27 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 42 · MIPS quality, percentile: 23Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 15 · MIPS quality, percentile: 15Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 8 · MIPS quality, percentile: 3Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 50 · MIPS quality, percentile: 50Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 20 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 55 · MIPS quality, percentile: 48Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 68 · MIPS quality, percentile: 53Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 100 · MIPS quality, percentile: 38Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 7 · MIPS quality, percentile: 58Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 2 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 83 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 40 · MIPS quality, percentile: 63Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 17 · MIPS quality, percentile: 37Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 47 · MIPS quality, percentile: 5Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 47 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 73 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 13 · MIPS quality, percentile: 62Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 32 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 45 · MIPS quality, percentile: 60Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 90 · MIPS quality, percentile: 35Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 82 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 5 · MIPS quality, percentile: 22Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 12 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 43 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 60 · MIPS quality, percentile: 13Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 57 · MIPS quality, percentile: 12Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 28 · MIPS quality, percentile: 17Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 38 · MIPS quality, percentile: 47Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 87 · MIPS quality, percentile: 30Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 3 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 95 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 75 · MIPS quality, percentile: 10Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 35 · MIPS quality, percentile: 42Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 77 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 80 · MIPS quality, percentile: 18Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 52 · MIPS quality, percentile: 43Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 37 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 92 · MIPS quality, percentile: 67Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 23 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 78 · MIPS quality, percentile: 65Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 30 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 97 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 65 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 72 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 8 · MIPS quality, percentile: 27Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 88 · MIPS quality, percentile: 25Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 98 · MIPS quality, percentile: 8Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 53 · MIPS quality, percentile: 57Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 0 · MIPS quality, percentile: 33Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 18 · MIPS quality, percentile: 52Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 58 · MIPS quality, percentile: 45Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 63 · MIPS quality, percentile: 18Howard Cummings, M.D., Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 58 · MIPS quality, percentile: 43
Part D claim volume vs MIPS quality, by specialty percentile

Each dot is one retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Howard Cummings, M.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.

✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)

Howard Cummings, 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 Howard Cummings, M.D.?

High performer (top quartile)

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 06/22/2005

NPI 1669478996

Primary specialty

Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician

Niche

917 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

490 12% vs specialty avg

2023 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 558

MIPS final score

96.3/100 12.8 pts vs avg

Exceptional band

vs 83.5 national avg

Specialty distribution in Tennessee

How Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician compares to other specialties among Tennessee providers

Tennessee providers
Family Nurse Practitioner6.4%Pharmacist5.9%Student in an Organized Heal…4.6%Physical Therapist4.2%Behavior Technician4.2%Registered Nurse3.9%Retina Specialist (Ophthalmo…0%
Largest specialties in Tennessee (% of in-state providers)

Medicare quality performance, MIPS

Howard Cummings, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician national average

High performer (top quartile)
MIPS Final Score
96.3/100
vs 83.5 national avg · 2023 performance year
0%100%National avg84%96.3%
MIPS final score (Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician) - 96.3/100 vs national avg 83.5
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).

Howard Cummings, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 2412 N JOHN B DENNIS HWY, Kingsport, TN, 37660, with a listed phone of (423) 578-4364. NPI 1669478996 was issued on 06/22/2005.

Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 490 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 181 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $19K in drug spend, split 20% brand-name and 80% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 22.4%. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 96.3/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 97.1), compared with the 83.5 average among clinicians with a measured score.

Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician is a narrow specialty nationwide, with 917 enrolled providers across 48 states and an average of 558 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

2412 N JOHN B DENNIS HWY
Kingsport, TN 37660
(423) 578-4364

Provider Details

NPI 1669478996
Specialty Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician
Credentials M.D.
Gender Male
NPI Issued 06/22/2005

CMS Quality Score (MIPS)

Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.

96.3197
Final Score
Measured-score avg: 83.5
97.1267
Quality
93
Promoting Interoperability

Reporting: Group practice

Hospital and facility affiliations

Facilities where Howard Cummings, 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.

Southeastern Retina Associates PC
Abingdon, VA

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 Howard Cummings, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$339

Largest payer

Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, 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 · Typical

Howard Cummings, M.D. - brand share 20.0%
Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician average

20% brand-name claims vs 80% generic, on 490 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.

490
Total Claims
$19K
Total Drug Cost
181
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
682
Total Day Supply
15,419
Brand vs Generic
20% brand / 80% generic
Brand Drug Cost
$9K
Generic Drug Cost
$10K
Opioid Claims
110 (22.4% rate)

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
72.2 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
1.51
Gender Split
50% female / 50% male
Age Distribution
<65: 27, 65-74: 78, 75-84: 60, 85+: 16

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

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

What Howard Cummings, M.D. prescribes most

Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023

claims
Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File As of 2023
Drug Claims
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
102
Neomycin-Polymyxin-Dexameth
Neomycin/Polymyxin B/Dexametha
67
Tobramycin-Dexamethasone
Tobramycin/Dexamethasone
64
Prednisolone Acetate
 45
Ketorolac Tromethamine
 37
Dorzolamide-Timolol
Dorzolamide Hcl/Timolol Maleat
32
Latanoprost
 26
Timolol Maleate
 23
Erythromycin
Erythromycin Base
22
Atropine Sulfate
 19

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

More Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician in TN → All providers in Tennessee → Compare specialties →

Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician Overview

How Howard Cummings, M.D. fits within the Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician landscape nationally.

917
Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician Providers in US
48
States with Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician
558
Avg Claims per Provider

Howard Cummings, M.D.'s 490 claims are below the specialty average of 558.

Nearby Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician Providers in Tennessee

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

One of 33 Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician providers enrolled in Tennessee, 5 are shown here.

Dr. Nicholas Anderson
M.D.
Knoxville, TN
Dr. Richard Breazeale
M.D.
Hixson, TN
Dr. Brandon Busbee
M.D.
Nashville, TN
Dr. Linda Cernichiaro Espinosa
MD
Memphis, TN
Dr. Steve Charles
M.D.
Germantown, TN

Compare Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) 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 Tennessee medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
  • Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) 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 Howard Cummings, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Howard Cummings, M.D. specializes in Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician and practices in Kingsport, Tennessee. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Howard Cummings, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Howard Cummings, M.D. wrote 490 Medicare Part D claims totaling $19K in drug costs for 181 beneficiaries.
What is Howard Cummings, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Howard Cummings, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 96.3/100 (Quality: 97.1). 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 Howard Cummings, M.D. located? ▼
Howard Cummings, M.D. is located at 2412 N JOHN B DENNIS HWY, Kingsport, TN, 37660. Phone: (423) 578-4364.
What is Howard Cummings, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Howard Cummings, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1669478996, issued on 06/22/2005.
Does Howard Cummings, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Howard Cummings, M.D.'s prescribing is 20% brand-name and 80% generic drugs by claim count, with $9K in brand drug costs.
Does Howard Cummings, M.D. prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Howard Cummings, M.D. had 110 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 22.4%.
How many Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 917 Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician providers across 48 states in the US. The average Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician provider writes 558 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Howard Cummings, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Howard Cummings, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, Neomycin-Polymyxin-Dexameth, Tobramycin-Dexamethasone. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Howard Cummings, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Howard Cummings, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 490 Part D claims and 181 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Howard Cummings, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Howard Cummings, M.D.'s NPI is 1669478996 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

Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

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.