2026 NPPES data Medical Physician Assistant NPI 1215274451 PA-C
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Nicole Higgins, PA-C

Medical Physician Assistant in Huron, South Dakota. This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers — including 40,527 in Medical 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
829
Medicare Part D claims · 41 beneficiaries · Medical Physician Assistant avg: 1K
Industry payments
$6.42
1 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.

What the federal data shows

Nicole Higgins, PA-C filed 829 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 as a Medical Physician Assistant in Huron, South Dakota.

829
Part D claims, 2023
$6.42
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.

Nicole Higgins, PA-C's Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber

Total Medicare Part D claims, 2023 — across all CMS prescribers nationally

829 Top 27% higher than 73% of 1,370,886 prescribers

0–200: 670,926 prescribers (49%). Below this entry. 200–400: 182,923 prescribers (13%). Below this entry. 400–600: 90,619 prescribers (7%). Below this entry. 600–800: 56,224 prescribers (4%). Below this entry. 800–1,000: 40,919 prescribers (3%). This entry sits in this band. 1,000–1,200: 31,827 prescribers (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,400: 26,224 prescribers (2%). Above this entry. 1,400–1,600: 21,710 prescribers (2%). Above this entry. 1,600–1,800: 19,072 prescribers (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–2,000: 16,451 prescribers (1%). Above this entry. 2,000–2,200: 213,991 prescribers (16%). Above this entry. This provider 0 2K+ every Part D prescriber (claims/yr), bucketed by value

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 Nicole Higgins, PA-C?

Quality data not reported

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 01/08/2013

NPI 1215274451

Primary specialty

Medical Physician Assistant

Mid-sized

40,527 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

829 23% vs specialty avg

2023 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 1,077

Specialty distribution in South Dakota

How Medical Physician Assistant compares to other specialties among South Dakota providers

South Dakota providers

Largest specialties in South Dakota (% of in-state providers)

Physical Therapist — 5.6%Physical Therapist5.6%Pharmacist — 5.5%Pharmacist5.5%Registered Nurse — 4.8%Registered Nurse4.8%Family Nurse Practitioner — 4.7%Family Nurse Practitioner4.7%Mental Health Counselor — 4%Mental Health Counselor4%Physician Assistant — 3.7%Physician Assistant3.7%Medical Physician Assistant — 0.6%Medical Physician Assistant0.6%
Largest specialties in South Dakota (% of in-state providers)

Specialty board-certification context

Estimated specialty board-certified rate — Medical Physician Assistant (ABMS / AOA reference)

Quality data not reported
Est. board-certified rate
78%
Medical Physician Assistant ABMS/AOA estimate

Est. board-certified rate (Medical Physician Assistant) — ABMS / AOA estimate

0%100%78%
Est. board-certified rate (Medical Physician Assistant) — ABMS / AOA estimate

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).

Nicole Higgins, PA-C appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Medical Physician Assistant provider holding PA-C credentials at 33 3RD ST SE STE 201, Huron, SD, 57350, with a listed phone of (605) 677-6274. NPI 1215274451 was issued on 01/08/2013. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what Higgins 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 829 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 41 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $117K in drug spend. 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.

Medical Physician Assistant is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 40,527 enrolled providers across 55 states and an average of 1,077 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

33 3RD ST SE STE 201
Huron, SD 57350

Provider Details

NPI 1215274451
Specialty Medical Physician Assistant
Credentials PA-C
Gender Female
NPI Issued 01/08/2013

Hospital and facility affiliations

Facilities where Nicole Higgins, PA-C 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.

Santee Sioux Tribe OF Nebraska
Niobrara, NE

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 Nicole Higgins, PA-C. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$6

Largest payer

ZOLL Medical Corporation

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.

Medicare Part D Prescribing Data

CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2023.

829
Total Claims
$117K
Total Drug Cost
41
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
832
Total Day Supply
23,033
Generic Drug Cost
$7K
Antibiotic Claims
34

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
70.2 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
1.74
Gender Split
59% female / 41% male

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.

What Nicole Higgins, PA-C prescribes most

Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023

claims
Source CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File As of 2023
Drug Claims
Simvastatin
50
Gabapentin
40
Losartan Potassium
37
Omeprazole
36
Amlodipine Besylate
34
Levoxyl
Levothyroxine Sodium
33
Metformin Hcl
31
Atorvastatin Calcium
29
Lisinopril
28
Tamsulosin Hcl
27

* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.

Medical Physician Assistant Overview

How Nicole Higgins, PA-C fits within the Medical Physician Assistant landscape nationally.

40,527
Medical Physician Assistant Providers in US
55
States with Medical Physician Assistant
1,077
Avg Claims per Provider

Nicole Higgins, PA-C's 829 claims are below the specialty average of 1,077.

Nearby Medical Physician Assistant Providers in South Dakota

Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in South Dakota, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Higgins.

Compare Medical 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 South Dakota medical board — federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
  • Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Medical 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nicole Higgins, PA-C's specialty?
Nicole Higgins, PA-C specializes in Medical Physician Assistant and practices in Huron, South Dakota. Credentials: PA-C.
How much does Nicole Higgins, PA-C prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2023, Nicole Higgins, PA-C wrote 829 Medicare Part D claims totaling $117K in drug costs for 41 beneficiaries.
Where is Nicole Higgins, PA-C located?
Nicole Higgins, PA-C is located at 33 3RD ST SE STE 201, Huron, SD, 57350. Phone: (605) 677-6274.
What is Nicole Higgins, PA-C's NPI number?
Nicole Higgins, PA-C's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1215274451, issued on 01/08/2013.
How many Medical Physician Assistant providers are there in the US?
There are 40,527 Medical Physician Assistant providers across 55 states in the US. The average Medical Physician Assistant provider writes 1,077 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Nicole Higgins, PA-C prescribe most often?
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Nicole Higgins, PA-C's most frequently prescribed drugs include Simvastatin, Gabapentin, Losartan Potassium. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Nicole Higgins, PA-C accept Medicare?
Nicole Higgins, PA-C appears in CMS Medicare data with 829 Part D claims and 41 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Nicole Higgins, PA-C's credentials?
Nicole Higgins, PA-C's NPI is 1215274451 with credentials PA-C. 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

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.