NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Dermatology Physician NPI 1982668026 M.D.
Verify on CMS → Howard Liu, M.D.
Dermatology Physician in Beverly Hills, California.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 14,645 in Dermatology 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
1K
Medicare Part D claims · 341 beneficiaries · Dermatology Physician avg: 729
MIPS score
85.7/100
▲ 3 pts above national avg 83.1 · Above neutral
Industry payments
$1.8K
65 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.
What the federal data shows
Howard Liu, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 85.7/100 - above the 83.1 national average - and filed 1,004 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 85.7/100
- MIPS score · +3 vs avg
- 1K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 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 Liu, 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
86 49th percentile higher than 49% 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 Howard Liu, M.D. sits
This provider among dermatology physician peers
Across the 6,594 dermatology physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Howard Liu, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 69% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 53% - placing this provider in the high-volume, high-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 dermatology physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Howard Liu, 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 Liu, 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 Liu, M.D.?
High performer (top quartile)Primary specialty
Dermatology Physician
Medicare Part D claims
1,004 38% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
85.7/100 2.6 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in California
How Dermatology Physician compares to other specialties among California providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Howard Liu, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Dermatology Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 85.7/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Dermatology Physician) - 85.7/100 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).
Howard Liu, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Dermatology Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 200 N ROBERTSON BLVD, Beverly Hills, CA, 90211, with a listed phone of (310) 385-3300. NPI 1982668026 was issued on 04/14/2006.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 1,004 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 341 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $290K in drug spend. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 85.7/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 85.7, Cost 61.5), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Dermatology Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 14,645 enrolled providers across 53 states and an average of 729 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 | 1982668026 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Dermatology Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 04/14/2006 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
85.7185
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
85.6751
Quality
61.479
Cost
100
Promoting Interoperability
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Howard Liu, 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.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Care Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
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 Liu, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$1.8K
Largest payer
ABBVIE 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 - California MBC 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 ~150K California medical licensees in 2023 - they are NOT specific to Howard Liu, M.D.. To verify Howard Liu, M.D.'s current license status, search the MBC public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.
576
Total board actions, California 2023
Across 556 cases
3.84
Actions per 1,000 licensees
California statewide rate
probation
Most common action type
186 cases
MBC 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 California disciplinary trends page. Cross-checked against FSMB U.S. Medical Regulatory Trends.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2023.
1,004
Total Claims
$290K
Total Drug Cost
341
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 1,150
- Total Day Supply
- 29,041
- Generic Drug Cost
- $48K
- Antibiotic Claims
- 138
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 74.1 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.33
- Gender Split
- 45% female / 55% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 17, 65-74: 154, 75-84: 136, 85+: 34
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Howard Liu, M.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Fluocinonide
Fluocinonide
100 claims
- Clobetasol Propion…
Clobetasol Propionate
92 claims
- Mupirocin
Mupirocin
87 claims
- Cephalexin
Cephalexin
85 claims
- Clindamycin Phosph…
Clindamycin Phosphate
47 claims
- Doxycycline Hyclate
Doxycycline Hyclate
47 claims
- Hydroxyzine Hcl
Hydroxyzine Hcl
46 claims
- Selenium Sulfide
Selenium Sulfide
46 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Fluocinonide | 100 |
| Clobetasol Propionate | 92 |
| Mupirocin | 87 |
| Cephalexin | 85 |
| Clindamycin Phosphate | 47 |
| Doxycycline Hyclate | 47 |
| Hydroxyzine Hcl | 46 |
| Selenium Sulfide | 46 |
| Fluocinolone Acetonide | 43 |
| Hydrocortisone | 43 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Dermatology Physician Overview
How Howard Liu, M.D. fits within the Dermatology Physician landscape nationally.
14,645
Dermatology Physician Providers in US
53
States with Dermatology Physician
729
Avg Claims per Provider
Howard Liu, M.D.'s 1,004 claims are above the specialty average of 729.
Nearby Dermatology Physician Providers in California
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in California, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Liu.
Dr. Sumaira Aasi
MD
Stanford, CA
Dr. Christopher Abbott
M.D.
San Diego, CA
Dr. Eman Abdallah
D.O.
Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Farah Abdulla
MD
Duarte, CA
Dr. Sayyida Abdus-Salaam
M.D.
Daly City, CA
Compare Dermatology 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 California medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Dermatology 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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Understanding Medicare Claims Data
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How insurance networks affect your costs
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Howard Liu, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Howard Liu, M.D. specializes in Dermatology Physician and practices in Beverly Hills, California. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Howard Liu, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Howard Liu, M.D. wrote 1,004 Medicare Part D claims totaling $290K in drug costs for 341 beneficiaries.
What is Howard Liu, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Howard Liu, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 85.7/100 (Quality: 85.7, Cost: 61.5). The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Howard Liu, M.D. located? ▼
Howard Liu, M.D. is located at 200 N ROBERTSON BLVD, Beverly Hills, CA, 90211. Phone: (310) 385-3300.
What is Howard Liu, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Howard Liu, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1982668026, issued on 04/14/2006.
How many Dermatology Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 14,645 Dermatology Physician providers across 53 states in the US. The average Dermatology Physician provider writes 729 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Howard Liu, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Howard Liu, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Fluocinonide, Clobetasol Propionate, Mupirocin. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Howard Liu, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Howard Liu, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 1,004 Part D claims and 341 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Howard Liu, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Howard Liu, M.D.'s NPI is 1982668026 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 PlainDoctor editorial team.
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.