NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician NPI 1447693833 M.D.
Verify on CMS → James Ashford, M.D.
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician in Athens, Georgia.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 4,020 in Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) 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
23K
Medicare Part D claims · 1K beneficiaries · Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician avg: 2K
Generic prescribing
93%
generic claims · 7% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
MIPS score
75/100
▼ 8 pts below national avg 83.1 · Above neutral
Industry payments
$574.29
24 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2023
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.
What the federal data shows
James Ashford, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 75/100 - below the 83.1 national average - and filed 23,420 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 75/100
- MIPS score · -8 vs avg
- 23K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 93%
- 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.
James Ashford, 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
75 15th percentile higher than 15% 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 James Ashford, M.D. sits
This provider among pain medicine (anesthesiology) physician peers
Across the 1,110 pain medicine (anesthesiology) physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, James Ashford, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 100% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 27% - placing this provider in the high-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 pain medicine (anesthesiology) physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is James Ashford, M.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
James Ashford, M.D. 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 James Ashford, M.D.?
Below national averagePrimary specialty
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician
Medicare Part D claims
23,420 14× vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
75/100 8.1 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in Georgia
How Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician compares to other specialties among Georgia providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
James Ashford, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 75/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician) - 75/100 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).
James Ashford, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 1000 HAWTHORNE AVE STE J, Athens, GA, 30606, with a listed phone of (706) 286-8344. NPI 1447693833 was issued on 04/16/2013.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 23,420 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 1,208 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $1.7 million in drug spend, split 7% brand-name and 93% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 55.2%. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 75/100 for the 2023 performance year, compared with the national average of 83.1.
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician is a narrow specialty nationwide, with 4,020 enrolled providers across 53 states and an average of 1,657 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 | 1447693833 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 04/16/2013 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
75
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
Reporting: Individual
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 James Ashford, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$574
Largest payer
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS 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
James Ashford, M.D. - brand share 7.0%
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician average
7% brand-name claims vs 93% generic, on 23,420 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.
23,420
Total Claims
$1.7M
Total Drug Cost
1,208
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 23,972
- Total Day Supply
- 658,107
- Brand vs Generic
- 7% brand / 93% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $865K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $828K
- Opioid Claims
- 12,924 (55.2% rate)
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 65.7 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.80
- Gender Split
- 61% female / 39% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 470, 65-74: 516, 75-84: 193, 85+: 29
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What James Ashford, M.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Oxycodone-Acetamin…
Oxycodone-Acetaminophen
3,514 claims
- Hydrocodone-Acetam…
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
3,404 claims
- Oxycodone Hcl
Oxycodone Hcl
2,062 claims
- Pregabalin 1,240
Pregabalin
1,240 claims
- Gabapentin 1,133
Gabapentin
1,133 claims
- Tramadol Hcl 943
Tramadol Hcl
943 claims
- Celecoxib 938
Celecoxib
938 claims
- Tizanidine Hcl 850
Tizanidine Hcl
850 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Oxycodone-Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 3,514 |
| Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 3,404 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 2,062 |
| Pregabalin | 1,240 |
| Gabapentin | 1,133 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 943 |
| Celecoxib | 938 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 850 |
| Morphine Sulfate Er Morphine Sulfate | 792 |
| Buprenorphine Hcl | 770 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
More Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician in GA →
All providers in Georgia →
Compare specialties →
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician Overview
How James Ashford, M.D. fits within the Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician landscape nationally.
4,020
Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician Providers in US
53
States with Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician
1,657
Avg Claims per Provider
James Ashford, M.D.'s 23,420 claims are above the specialty average of 1,657.
Nearby Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician Providers in Georgia
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Georgia, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Ashford.
Dr. Natalie Abercrombie
M.D.
Augusta, GA
Dr. Thomas Adair
MD
Marietta, GA
Dr. Vats Ambai
MD
Columbus, GA
Dr. Rebecca Atha
M.D.
Augusta, GA
Dr. Azarakhsh Babolian
M.D.
Marietta, GA
Compare Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) 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 Georgia medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) 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 James Ashford, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
James Ashford, M.D. specializes in Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician and practices in Athens, Georgia. Credentials: M.D..
How much does James Ashford, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, James Ashford, M.D. wrote 23,420 Medicare Part D claims totaling $1.7M in drug costs for 1,208 beneficiaries.
What is James Ashford, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
James Ashford, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 75/100. The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is James Ashford, M.D. located? ▼
James Ashford, M.D. is located at 1000 HAWTHORNE AVE STE J, Athens, GA, 30606. Phone: (706) 286-8344.
What is James Ashford, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
James Ashford, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1447693833, issued on 04/16/2013.
Does James Ashford, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
James Ashford, M.D.'s prescribing is 7% brand-name and 93% generic drugs by claim count, with $865K in brand drug costs.
Does James Ashford, M.D. prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, James Ashford, M.D. had 12,924 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 55.2%.
How many Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 4,020 Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician providers across 53 states in the US. The average Pain Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician provider writes 1,657 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does James Ashford, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, James Ashford, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Oxycodone-Acetaminophen, Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, Oxycodone Hcl. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does James Ashford, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
James Ashford, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 23,420 Part D claims and 1,208 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify James Ashford, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
James Ashford, M.D.'s NPI is 1447693833 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.