JAMES WHELESS, MD
Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician in MEMPHIS, Tennessee. CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System profile including specialty classification, practice address, and Medicare prescribing data when reported.
What stands out: JAMES WHELESS, MD filed 493 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 across MEMPHIS, Tennessee. Every figure on this page comes straight from federal CMS records, with no proprietary rating applied.
JAMES WHELESS, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + 1 hospital affiliation — signals consistent with board-certified status. For verified board certification, see CertificationMatters.org (the official ABMS public lookup).
JAMES WHELESS, MD at a glance
Quality data not reportedPrimary specialty
Medicare Part D claims
Specialty distribution in Tennessee
How Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician compares to other specialties among Tennessee providers
Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician share within Tennessee
Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician is one of the more visible NUCC categories in Tennessee
Each bar reflects the share of in-state providers whose primary NUCC taxonomy matches the specialty. Long tail of ~690 NUCC codes folded into "Other" to keep the comparison legible.
Specialty board-certification context
Estimated specialty board-certified rate — Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician (ABMS / AOA reference)
- Est. board-certified rate
- 78%
- Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician ABMS/AOA estimate
Est. board-certified rate (Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician) — ABMS / AOA estimate
Verify credentials
- Verify via ABMS free public lookup
- Verify via AOA osteopathic boards
- Specialty volume Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician US NPIs
Specialty board-certified rate — Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician estimate
Board certification through an ABMS or AOA member board signals voluntary post-licensure examination plus Maintenance of Certification cycles. CMS does not publish a per-provider board-certification field; the figure shown is the specialty-level estimated rate from ABMS / AOA reference data.
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 WHELESS, MD is a Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician provider practicing in MEMPHIS, Tennessee, according to the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Credentials: MD. NPI: 1659337855. This profile includes practice location, specialty classification, and organizational affiliations from the CMS provider registry. Provider information is self-reported to CMS and updated monthly.
JAMES WHELESS, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician provider holding MD credentials at 848 ADAMS AVE., MEMPHIS, TN, 38105, with a listed phone of (901) 287-7337. NPI 1659337855 was issued on 04/25/2006. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what WHELESS most recently submitted to CMS rather than a vetted directory listing, which is why patients should always confirm the practice is still at this location before scheduling.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 493 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 31 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $394K in drug spend, split 16% brand-name and 84% generic by claim count. These figures capture only Medicare Part D — commercial insurance, Medicaid, and cash-pay prescriptions are not included, and any drug-beneficiary cell under 11 is suppressed by CMS for patient privacy.
Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician is a narrow specialty nationwide, with 1,803 enrolled providers across 51 states and an average of 359 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 | 1659337855 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 04/25/2006 |
Verify this provider's license
PlainDoctor pulls this profile from the CMS NPPES public registry. Confirm JAMES WHELESS, MD's current license status, disciplinary history, and board certifications with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners in Tennessee before relying on this page for a clinical or care decision.
How we sourced this profile
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where JAMES WHELESS, 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.
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 JAMES WHELESS, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$176.3K
Largest payer
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
Most common payment type
Travel and Lodging
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
16% brand-name claims vs 84% generic, on 493 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
- 674
- Total Day Supply
- 19,991
- Brand vs Generic
- 16% brand / 84% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $194K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $200K
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 31.5 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 0.69
- Gender Split
- 42% female / 58% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 31, 65-74: 0, 75-84: 0, 85+: 0
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Felbamate | 37 |
| Zonisamide | 36 |
| Lamotrigine Er Lamotrigine | 30 |
| Levetiracetam Er Levetiracetam | 28 |
| Clonidine Hcl | 22 |
| Ethosuximide | 22 |
| Baclofen | 20 |
| Xcopri Cenobamate | 19 |
| Oxtellar Xr Oxcarbazepine | 17 |
| Everolimus | 16 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician Overview
How JAMES WHELESS, MD fits within the Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician landscape nationally.
JAMES WHELESS, MD's 493 claims are above the specialty average of 359.
Nearby Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology Physician Providers in Tennessee
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Tennessee, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as WHELESS.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
- 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.
- 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