NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Orthopaedic Surgery Physician NPI 1679863526 MD
Verify on CMS → Nicholas Early, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician in Cincinnati, Ohio.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 25,775 in Orthopaedic Surgery 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
508
Medicare Part D claims · 174 beneficiaries · Orthopaedic Surgery Physician avg: 324
Industry payments
$199.24
3 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.
What the federal data shows
Nicholas Early, MD filed 508 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 as a Orthopaedic Surgery Physician in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- 508
- Part D claims, 2023
- 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.
Nicholas Early, MD's Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber
Total Medicare Part D claims, 2023, across all CMS prescribers nationally
508 Top 34% higher than 66% 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
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Nicholas Early, 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).
What does the federal data show about Nicholas Early, MD?
Quality data not reportedPrimary specialty
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician
Medicare Part D claims
508 57% vs specialty avg
Specialty distribution in Ohio
How Orthopaedic Surgery Physician compares to other specialties among Ohio 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 Orthopaedic Surgery Physician. 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 Early, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as an Orthopaedic Surgery Physician provider holding MD credentials at 4355 FERGUSON DR, Cincinnati, OH, 45245, with a listed phone of (513) 232-2663. NPI 1679863526 was issued on 04/12/2011.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 508 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 174 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $5K in drug spend, with an opioid prescribing rate of 16.1%.
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 25,775 enrolled providers across 56 states and an average of 324 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 | 1679863526 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Orthopaedic Surgery Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 04/12/2011 |
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Nicholas Early, 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.
Orthocincy Orthopaedics And Sports Medicine Psc
Cincinnati, OH
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 Early, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$199
Largest payer
Smith+Nephew, 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.
License & disciplinary context - Ohio OMB 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 ~48K Ohio medical licensees in 2023 - they are NOT specific to Nicholas Early, MD. To verify Nicholas Early, MD's current license status, search the OMB public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.
158
Total board actions, Ohio 2023
Across 154 cases
3.29
Actions per 1,000 licensees
Ohio statewide rate
probation
Most common action type
56 cases
OMB 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 Ohio disciplinary trends page. Cross-checked against FSMB U.S. Medical Regulatory Trends.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2023.
508
Total Claims
$5K
Total Drug Cost
174
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 524
- Total Day Supply
- 10,100
- Generic Drug Cost
- $5K
- Opioid Claims
- 82 (16.1% rate)
- Antibiotic Claims
- 15
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 70.3 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 0.99
- Gender Split
- 61% female / 39% male
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Nicholas Early, MD prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Meloxicam
Meloxicam
126 claims
- Diclofenac Sodium
Diclofenac Sodium
84 claims
- Ibuprofen 40
Ibuprofen
40 claims
- Ondansetron Hcl 38
Ondansetron Hcl
38 claims
- Gabapentin 34
Gabapentin
34 claims
- Methylprednisolone 28
Methylprednisolone
28 claims
- Tramadol Hcl 28
Tramadol Hcl
28 claims
- Oxycodone-Acetamin… 23
Oxycodone-Acetaminophen
23 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Meloxicam | 126 |
| Diclofenac Sodium | 84 |
| Ibuprofen | 40 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 38 |
| Gabapentin | 34 |
| Methylprednisolone | 28 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 28 |
| Oxycodone-Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 23 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 22 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 17 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician Overview
How Nicholas Early, MD fits within the Orthopaedic Surgery Physician landscape nationally.
25,775
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician Providers in US
56
States with Orthopaedic Surgery Physician
324
Avg Claims per Provider
Nicholas Early, MD's 508 claims are above the specialty average of 324.
Nearby Orthopaedic Surgery Physician Providers in Ohio
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Ohio, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Early.
Dr. James Abbott
M.D.
Mason, OH
Nicholas Accurso
Youngstown, OH
Dr. Mark Adamczyk
M.D.
Akron, OH
Dr. Gurpal Ahluwalia
MD
Miamisburg, OH
Dr. Abdul Ahmed
MD
Hamilton, OH
Compare Orthopaedic Surgery 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 Ohio medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Orthopaedic Surgery 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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Medical Specialties Explained
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Understanding Medicare Claims Data
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How insurance networks affect your costs
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nicholas Early, MD's specialty? ▼
Nicholas Early, MD specializes in Orthopaedic Surgery Physician and practices in Cincinnati, Ohio. Credentials: MD.
How much does Nicholas Early, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Nicholas Early, MD wrote 508 Medicare Part D claims totaling $5K in drug costs for 174 beneficiaries.
Where is Nicholas Early, MD located? ▼
Nicholas Early, MD is located at 4355 FERGUSON DR, Cincinnati, OH, 45245. Phone: (513) 232-2663.
What is Nicholas Early, MD's NPI number? ▼
Nicholas Early, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1679863526, issued on 04/12/2011.
Does Nicholas Early, MD prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Nicholas Early, MD had 82 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 16.1%.
How many Orthopaedic Surgery Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 25,775 Orthopaedic Surgery Physician providers across 56 states in the US. The average Orthopaedic Surgery Physician provider writes 324 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Nicholas Early, MD prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Nicholas Early, MD's most frequently prescribed drugs include Meloxicam, Diclofenac Sodium, Ibuprofen. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Nicholas Early, MD accept Medicare? ▼
Nicholas Early, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 508 Part D claims and 174 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Nicholas Early, MD's credentials? ▼
Nicholas Early, MD's NPI is 1679863526 with credentials MD. 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.