NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Physician Assistant NPI 1174252548 PA
Verify on CMS → Nicholas Cortese, PA
Physician Assistant in Monterey, 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 150,974 in Physician Assistant, 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
621
Medicare Part D claims · 319 beneficiaries · Physician Assistant avg: 790
Generic prescribing
86%
generic claims · 9% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
Industry payments
$150.01
1 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
Nicholas Cortese, PA filed 621 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 as a Physician Assistant in Monterey, California, prescribing 86% generic.
- 621
- Part D claims, 2023
- 86%
- generic prescribing
- $150.01
- industry payments (Sunshine Act)
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.
Nicholas Cortese, PA's Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber
Total Medicare Part D claims, 2023, across all CMS prescribers nationally
621 Top 31% higher than 69% of 1,370,886 prescribers
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more prescribers. 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 Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File · 2023
What does the federal data show about Nicholas Cortese, PA?
Quality data not reportedPrimary specialty
Physician Assistant
Medicare Part D claims
621 21% vs specialty avg
Specialty distribution in California
How Physician Assistant compares to other specialties among California providers
Board certification
Not published by CMS
CMS does not publish a per-provider board-certification field in NPPES. PlainDoctor does not have a reliable per-specialty certification rate to show for Physician Assistant. Verify directly:
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).
Nicholas Cortese, PA appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Physician Assistant provider holding PA credentials at 2 UPPER RAGSDALE DR BLDG A, Monterey, CA, 93940, with a listed phone of (831) 333-3040. NPI 1174252548 was issued on 06/09/2022.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 621 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 319 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $24K in drug spend, split 9% brand-name and 86% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 2.4%.
Physician Assistant is a high-volume specialty nationwide, with 150,974 enrolled providers across 56 states and an average of 790 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 | 1174252548 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Physician Assistant |
| Credentials | PA |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 06/09/2022 |
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Nicholas Cortese, PA 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.
Sutter Bay Medical Foundation
Los Gatos, 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 Nicholas Cortese, PA. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$150
Largest payer
Bioventus LLC
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 Nicholas Cortese, PA. To verify Nicholas Cortese, PA'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.
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Generic-heavy
Nicholas Cortese, PA - brand share 9.0%
Physician Assistant average
9% brand-name claims vs 86% generic, on 621 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.
621
Total Claims
$24K
Total Drug Cost
319
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 773
- Total Day Supply
- 16,185
- Brand vs Generic
- 9% brand / 86% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $14K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $10K
- Opioid Claims
- 15 (2.4% rate)
- Antibiotic Claims
- 124
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 73.6 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.10
- Gender Split
- 66% female / 34% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 24, 65-74: 147, 75-84: 114, 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 Nicholas Cortese, PA prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Paxlovid (Eua)
Paxlovid (Eua)
29 claims
- Gabapentin
Gabapentin
28 claims
- Azithromycin
Azithromycin
24 claims
- Fluticasone Propio…
Fluticasone Propionate
24 claims
- Albuterol Sulfate …
Albuterol Sulfate Hfa
23 claims
- Nitrofurantoin Mon…
Nitrofurantoin Mono-Macro
23 claims
- Prednisone
Prednisone
23 claims
- Ondansetron Hcl
Ondansetron Hcl
22 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Paxlovid (Eua) Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir | 29 |
| Gabapentin | 28 |
| Azithromycin | 24 |
| Fluticasone Propionate | 24 |
| Albuterol Sulfate Hfa Albuterol Sulfate | 23 |
| Nitrofurantoin Mono-Macro Nitrofurantoin Monohyd/M-Cryst | 23 |
| Prednisone | 23 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 22 |
| Losartan Potassium | 19 |
| Doxycycline Hyclate | 18 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Physician Assistant Overview
How Nicholas Cortese, PA fits within the Physician Assistant landscape nationally.
150,974
Physician Assistant Providers in US
56
States with Physician Assistant
790
Avg Claims per Provider
Nicholas Cortese, PA's 621 claims are below the specialty average of 790.
Nearby Physician Assistant Providers in California
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in California, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Cortese.
Dr. Marcia -Galbraith
PA
Stockton, CA
Dr. Danny Abad
PA
Orange, CA
Dr. Lea Dominique Abadies
PA
Tustin, CA
Dr. Rea Elizabeth Abaniel
P.A.-C
Seal Beach, CA
Dr. Ramina Abbasi
PA-C
Signal Hill, CA
Compare Physician Assistant 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 Physician Assistant 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.
How to Find a Doctor
Step-by-step guide to choosing a provider
Verify Credentials
Check NPI, board certification & license status
Medical Specialties Explained
Who treats what and how specialties differ
Understanding Medicare Claims Data
What prescribing data reveals about a provider
In-Network vs Out-of-Network
How insurance networks affect your costs
Telehealth Guide
Virtual care options and coverage in 2026
Explore California
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nicholas Cortese, PA's specialty? ▼
Nicholas Cortese, PA specializes in Physician Assistant and practices in Monterey, California. Credentials: PA.
How much does Nicholas Cortese, PA prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Nicholas Cortese, PA wrote 621 Medicare Part D claims totaling $24K in drug costs for 319 beneficiaries.
Where is Nicholas Cortese, PA located? ▼
Nicholas Cortese, PA is located at 2 UPPER RAGSDALE DR BLDG A, Monterey, CA, 93940. Phone: (831) 333-3040.
What is Nicholas Cortese, PA's NPI number? ▼
Nicholas Cortese, PA's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1174252548, issued on 06/09/2022.
Does Nicholas Cortese, PA prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Nicholas Cortese, PA's prescribing is 9% brand-name and 86% generic drugs by claim count, with $14K in brand drug costs.
Does Nicholas Cortese, PA prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Nicholas Cortese, PA had 15 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 2.4%.
How many Physician Assistant providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 150,974 Physician Assistant providers across 56 states in the US. The average Physician Assistant provider writes 790 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Nicholas Cortese, PA prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Nicholas Cortese, PA's most frequently prescribed drugs include Paxlovid (Eua), Gabapentin, Azithromycin. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Nicholas Cortese, PA accept Medicare? ▼
Nicholas Cortese, PA appears in CMS Medicare data with 621 Part D claims and 319 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Nicholas Cortese, PA's credentials? ▼
Nicholas Cortese, PA's NPI is 1174252548 with credentials PA. 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.
- 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.