Maria Lao, MD
Internal Medicine Physician in Pella, Iowa. This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 172,858 in Internal Medicine 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
Maria Lao, MD reported a CMS MIPS final score of 81.6/100 - below the 83.1 national average - and filed 7,804 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 81.6/100
- MIPS score · -1 vs avg
- 8K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 85%
- 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.
Maria Lao, 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 Maria Lao, MD sits
This provider among internal medicine physician peers
Across the 36,260 internal medicine physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Maria Lao, MD writes more Part D claims than 88% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 37% - 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 internal medicine physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Maria Lao, MD. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
Maria Lao, MD 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 Maria Lao, MD?
Near national averagePrimary specialty
Medicare Part D claims
MIPS final score
Specialty distribution in Iowa
How Internal Medicine Physician compares to other specialties among Iowa providers
Largest specialties in Iowa (% of in-state providers)
Internal Medicine Physician ranks #9 among Iowa's specialties (2.8% of in-state providers)
Each bar is a specialty's share of the Iowa provider total, by primary NUCC taxonomy. The highlighted bar is Internal Medicine Physician; the long tail of smaller specialties is omitted for legibility.
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Maria Lao, MD's 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Internal Medicine Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 81.6/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Internal Medicine 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 Internal Medicine 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: Internal Medicine Physician. Quality dim: 87.6. Cost dim: 51.1.
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).
Maria Lao, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Internal Medicine Physician provider holding MD credentials at 405 MONROE ST, Pella, IA, 50219, with a listed phone of (641) 621-2200. NPI 1801851498 was issued on 04/18/2006. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what Lao 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 7,804 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 418 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $799K in drug spend, split 14% brand-name and 85% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 1.6%. 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. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 81.6/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 87.6, Cost 51.1), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Internal Medicine Physician is a high-volume specialty nationwide, with 172,858 enrolled providers across 56 states and an average of 2,716 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 | 1801851498 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Internal Medicine Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Female |
| NPI Issued | 04/18/2006 |
Verify this provider's license
PlainDoctor pulls this profile from the CMS NPPES public registry. Confirm Maria Lao, MD's current license status, disciplinary history, and board certifications with the Iowa Board of Medicine in Iowa before relying on this page for a clinical or care decision.
How we sourced this profile
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Maria Lao, 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).
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Typical
14% brand-name claims vs 85% generic, on 7,804 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
- 16,096
- Total Day Supply
- 462,046
- Brand vs Generic
- 14% brand / 85% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $660K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $136K
- Opioid Claims
- 122 (1.6% rate)
- Antibiotic Claims
- 202
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 72.2 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.12
- Gender Split
- 69% female / 31% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 54, 65-74: 202, 75-84: 114, 85+: 48
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Maria Lao, MD prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Atorvastatin Calcium
Atorvastatin Calcium
401 claims
- Levothyroxine Sodium
Levothyroxine Sodium
398 claims
- Lisinopril
Lisinopril
292 claims
- Rosuvastatin Calcium
Rosuvastatin Calcium
282 claims
- Amlodipine Besylate
Amlodipine Besylate
259 claims
- Gabapentin
Gabapentin
245 claims
- Losartan Potassium
Losartan Potassium
237 claims
- Metoprolol Succinate
Metoprolol Succinate
229 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 401 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 398 |
| Lisinopril | 292 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 282 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 259 |
| Gabapentin | 245 |
| Losartan Potassium | 237 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 229 |
| Omeprazole | 229 |
| Furosemide | 202 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Internal Medicine Physician Overview
How Maria Lao, MD fits within the Internal Medicine Physician landscape nationally.
Maria Lao, MD's 7,804 claims are above the specialty average of 2,716.
Nearby Internal Medicine Physician Providers in Iowa
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Iowa, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Lao.
Compare Internal Medicine 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 Iowa medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Internal Medicine 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.
Healthcare Guides
Learn more about finding, verifying, and understanding healthcare providers.
Explore Iowa
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Maria Lao, MD's specialty? ▼
How much does Maria Lao, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
What is Maria Lao, MD's Medicare quality score? ▼
Where is Maria Lao, MD located? ▼
What is Maria Lao, MD's NPI number? ▼
Does Maria Lao, MD prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Does Maria Lao, MD prescribe opioids? ▼
How many Internal Medicine Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
What drugs does Maria Lao, MD prescribe most often? ▼
Does Maria Lao, MD accept Medicare? ▼
How can I verify Maria Lao, MD's credentials? ▼
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.
- 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