Irene Hou, MD
Rheumatology Physician in Manchester, New Hampshire.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 6,200 in Rheumatology 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.
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2023
What the federal data shows
Irene Hou, MD reported a CMS MIPS final score of 81.6/100 - below the 83.1 national average - and filed 1,444 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 81.6/100
- MIPS score · -1 vs avg
- 1K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 86%
- 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.
Irene Hou, MD's MIPS score vs every scored U.S. clinician
CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023, the federal quality measure
82 36th percentile higher than 36% 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 Irene Hou, MD sits
This provider among rheumatology physician peers
Across the 2,181 rheumatology physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Irene Hou, MD writes more Part D claims than 38% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 41% - placing this provider in the lower-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 rheumatology physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Irene Hou, MD. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
Irene Hou, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting - 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 Irene Hou, MD?
Near national averagePrimary specialty
Medicare Part D claims
MIPS final score
Specialty distribution in New Hampshire
How Rheumatology Physician compares to other specialties among New Hampshire providers
Rheumatology Physician ranks #83 among New Hampshire's specialties (0.1% of in-state providers)
Each bar is a specialty's share of the New Hampshire provider total, by primary NUCC taxonomy. The highlighted bar is Rheumatology Physician; the long tail of smaller specialties is omitted for legibility.
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Irene Hou, MD's 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Rheumatology Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 81.6/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Rheumatology Physician) - 81.6/100 vs national avg 83.1
Quality benchmarks
- National MIPS avg 2023 reporting year
- Quality dim CMS Quality category
- Cost dim CMS Cost category
- Specialty volume Rheumatology Physician US NPIs
81.6/100 MIPS final score - 1.5 pts below the 83.1 national average
Quality, Cost, Promoting Interoperability, and Improvement Activities composite score for the 2023 performance year. Specialty: Rheumatology Physician. Quality dim: 79.1. Cost dim: 59.7.
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).
Irene Hou, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Rheumatology Physician provider holding MD credentials at 100 HITCHCOCK WAY, Manchester, NH, 03104, with a listed phone of (603) 695-2550. NPI 1891724589 was issued on 07/03/2006.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 1,444 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 270 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $1.4 million in drug spend, split 14% brand-name and 86% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 9.2%. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 81.6/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 79.1, Cost 59.7), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Rheumatology Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 6,200 enrolled providers across 52 states and an average of 2,054 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 | 1891724589 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Rheumatology Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Female |
| NPI Issued | 07/03/2006 |
Verify this provider's license
PlainDoctor pulls this profile from the CMS NPPES public registry. Confirm Irene Hou, MD's current license status, disciplinary history, and board certifications with the New Hampshire Board of Medicine in New Hampshire before relying on this page for a clinical or care decision.
How we sourced this profile
Profile fields combine the CMS NPPES monthly snapshot (provider directory, taxonomy, and address) with calendar-year 2023 Medicare Part D and MIPS public-use files when records are present. NPI 1891724589 is the unique 10-digit identifier CMS uses to link Hou across every Medicare, Medicaid, and HIPAA-covered transaction. Read full methodology →
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
Reporting: Group practice
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Typical
14% brand-name claims vs 86% generic, on 1,444 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.
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 2,548
- Total Day Supply
- 74,598
- Brand vs Generic
- 14% brand / 86% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $1.4M
- Generic Drug Cost
- $51K
- Opioid Claims
- 133 (9.2% rate)
- Antibiotic Claims
- 13
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 69.2 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.50
- Gender Split
- 76% female / 24% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 58, 65-74: 128, 75-84: 64, 85+: 20
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Irene Hou, MD prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Prednisone
Prednisone
216 claims
- Methotrexate
Methotrexate
201 claims
- Hydroxychloroquine…
Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate
123 claims
- Tramadol Hcl 74
Tramadol Hcl
74 claims
- Gabapentin 71
Gabapentin
71 claims
- Alendronate Sodium 66
Alendronate Sodium
66 claims
- Methylprednisolone 64
Methylprednisolone
64 claims
- Allopurinol 60
Allopurinol
60 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Prednisone | 216 |
| Methotrexate Methotrexate Sodium | 201 |
| Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate | 123 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 74 |
| Gabapentin | 71 |
| Alendronate Sodium | 66 |
| Methylprednisolone | 64 |
| Allopurinol | 60 |
| Leflunomide | 27 |
| Celecoxib | 26 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Rheumatology Physician Overview
How Irene Hou, MD fits within the Rheumatology Physician landscape nationally.
Irene Hou, MD's 1,444 claims are below the specialty average of 2,054.
Nearby Rheumatology Physician Providers in New Hampshire
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in New Hampshire, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Hou.
Compare Rheumatology 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 New Hampshire medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Rheumatology 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
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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