Ralph B. Hester, M.D.
Ophthalmology Physician · Palm Desert, CA
Ralph B. Hester, M.D. is an ophthalmology physician with a practice address in Palm Desert, California, and NPI 1215904974, issued on Mar 1, 2006. Check the license (California C206920, as entered in NPPES) on the Medical Board of California; the Medicare figures below come from public CMS files.
- Name
- Ralph B. Hester
- Credential
- M.D.
- Primary taxonomy
- Ophthalmology Physician 207W00000X
- License numbers
- C206920 CA
17656 OK
Self-reported in NPPES; status is on the state search - Practice location
- 44139 Monterey Ave Ste A, Palm Desert, CA 92260
- Phone
- (760) 469-5195
- Enumerated
- Mar 1, 2006
- Record last updated
- Jan 22, 2026
- Fax
- (760) 779-0801
- Medicare enrollment
- Enrolled (PECOS I20100902000406); accepts Medicare assignment
- Medical or professional school
- University Of Oklahoma College Of Medicine, 1990
- Entity
- Type 1 · individual
8 nearest ophthalmology physician records → All 2,899 in California → Look up another NPI →
Also registered at 44139 Monterey Ave Ste A
A shared address usually means a shared clinic or building; it does not show who employs whom.
- Rudolph Alanis, O.D.Optometrist1770612699
- James Belville, MDOphthalmology Physician1477524239
- Rebecca Chait, M.D.Ophthalmology Physician1588083547
- Alexander Chop, PH.D. M.D.Ophthalmology Physician1952368920
- Jonathan Dizon, O.D.Optometrist1629578836
- Forrest Murphy, MDOphthalmology Physician1265444541
Verify Ralph B. Hester in five checks
- 1IdentityNPI record in CMS NPPESNPI lookupConfirmed in NPPES
- 2LicenseActive license and public ordersMedical Board of California
Search for license C206920Check the board - 3Other statesLicenses and actions elsewhereDocInfo (FSMB)Not checked
- 4ExclusionsMedicare and Medicaid bansHHS-OIG exclusion listNot checked
- 5CertificationBoard certificationABMS AOA NCCPA AANPNot checked
2% more Medicare Part D claims than the average ophthalmology physician in 2024
1,545 Medicare Part D claims for 453 beneficiaries, against an average of 1,518 among the 16,459 providers of this specialty who prescribed in Part D. Brand-name drugs were 35% of claims.
Most prescribed
- Latanoprost407 claims
- Ofloxacin368 claims
- Neomycin-Polymyxin-Dexameth275 claims
- Flarex113 claims
- Lumigan48 claims
- Fluorometholone45 claims
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug, 2024 (data.cms.gov). Part D covers prescriptions for Medicare patients only; drugs with fewer than 11 claims are not published.
The practice group's MIPS final score for 2023 (Medicare payment program): 93.3 of 100
The Merit-based Incentive Payment System score is reported for the practice group, not for one clinician alone. Four categories are weighted into the final score; the average among 454,083 clinicians with a measured score was 83.5.
Source: CMS Quality Payment Program, MIPS performance year 2023, group reporting; category weights for 2023 (qpp.cms.gov).
Industry payments in 2024: $428.93
29 payments; by number, the most common kind was food and beverage; the largest payer was Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. The 13,221 providers of this specialty with any payment received $4,535.02 on average. Payments are reported by manufacturers, not by the provider, and are not a sign of wrongdoing.
Source: CMS Open Payments, program year 2024 (openpaymentsdata.cms.gov); average among providers of this specialty with at least one payment.
Bills Medicare through 2 group practices
- Dean Mcgee Eye InstituteOklahoma City, OK
- Retina Institute OF California Medical Group, A California Medical ParLancaster, CA
Source: CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File (the group practices a clinician bills Medicare through) (data.cms.gov).
Ralph B. Hester among 2,899 ophthalmology physician records in California
Ralph B. Hester, M.D. is one of 2,899 ophthalmology physician records with a practice address in California. 79% of them appear in a Medicare file (Part D prescribing, MIPS, Open Payments or Medicare group billing); this one does. Its NPI, issued in 2006, is newer than 9% of them.
- NPI issued2006 · 9% of these records are older, 45% newer
- In a Medicare fileYes · 79% of these records are
- In the CMS Doctors and Clinicians fileYes · 66% of these records are
- Graduated1990 · median 2001 among the 1,907 with a school on file
- Record last updated2026 · 67% of these records were not updated in five years or more
Source: CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026, every record with primary taxonomy 207W00000X and a California practice address; Medicare files: CMS Part D Prescribers 2024, MIPS 2023, Open Payments 2024, Doctors and Clinicians (data.cms.gov).
13 ophthalmology physician records list a practice address in Palm Desert
They are 13 of the 1,495 NPPES records with a practice address in Palm Desert, and 2,899 ophthalmology physician records in California.
All 2,899 in California → Every provider in Palm Desert → Ophthalmology Physician nationwide →
The 8 ophthalmology physician records with the nearest ZIP codes
- Anthony Anderson, MDPalm Desert, CA 922601528116449
- James Belville, MDPalm Desert, CA 922601477524239
- Rebecca Chait, M.D.Palm Desert, CA 922601588083547
- Alexander Chop, PH.D. M.D.Palm Desert, CA 922601952368920
- Lori Kirshner, M.D.Palm Desert, CA 922601134121692
- Forrest Murphy, MDPalm Desert, CA 922601265444541
- Joel Solano, M.D.Palm Desert, CA 922601952380834
- Peter Spiegel, M.D.Palm Desert, CA 922601457353823
Common questions
What is Ralph B. Hester, M.D.'s NPI number?
Ralph B. Hester, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1215904974, issued on Mar 1, 2006. An NPI identifies a provider in billing; it is not a license.
Where is Ralph B. Hester, M.D. located?
The NPPES record lists a practice address at 44139 Monterey Ave Ste A, Palm Desert, CA, 92260. Phone: (760) 469-5195. Providers update this record themselves, so call before visiting.
How can I verify Ralph B. Hester, M.D.'s license?
NPPES lists California license number C206920, as entered by the provider. Search the Medical Board of California at https://www.mbc.ca.gov/License-Verification/default.aspx. The NPPES record confirms identity only; the state search shows license status, expiration and public orders.
How much does Ralph B. Hester, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2024, Ralph B. Hester, M.D. had 1,545 Medicare Part D claims for 453 beneficiaries; the average among ophthalmology physician prescribers was 1,518. Part D covers Medicare prescriptions only.
What is Ralph B. Hester, M.D.'s MIPS final score?
The 2023 MIPS final score is 93.3 of 100, reported for the practice group. The average among 454,083 clinicians with a measured score was 83.5.
Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), file of Aug 9, 2026 (NPPES files on CMS.gov); NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy. Medicare files from data.cms.gov. An NPI identifies who bills; it is not a license.
Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of Aug 9, 2026.