RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.
Surgery Physician in DOTHAN, Alabama. CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System profile including specialty classification, practice address, and Medicare prescribing data when reported.
What the federal data shows
RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 19.5231/100 — below the 83.1 national average — and filed 901 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 19.5231/100
- MIPS score · -64 vs avg
- 901
- Part D claims, 2023
- 95%
- 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.
RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.'s MIPS score vs every scored U.S. clinician
CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023 — the federal quality measure
20 2nd percentile higher than 2% 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
RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting — 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 RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.?
Below national averagePrimary specialty
Medicare Part D claims
MIPS final score
Specialty distribution in Alabama
How Surgery Physician compares to other specialties among Alabama providers
Surgery Physician share within Alabama
Surgery Physician is one of the more visible NUCC categories in Alabama
Each bar reflects the share of in-state providers whose primary NUCC taxonomy matches the specialty. Long tail of ~690 NUCC codes folded into "Other" to keep the comparison legible.
Medicare quality performance — MIPS
RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Surgery Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 19.5231/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Surgery Physician) — 19.5231/100 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 Surgery Physician US NPIs
19.5231/100 MIPS final score — 63.6 pts below the 83.1 national average
Quality, Cost, Promoting Interoperability, and Improvement Activities composite score for the 2023 performance year. Specialty: Surgery Physician. Quality dim: 0. Cost dim: 65.077.
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).
RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Surgery Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 2431 W MAIN ST, DOTHAN, AL, 36301, with a listed phone of (334) 677-6220. NPI 1518055334 was issued on 10/10/2006. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what NICHOLS 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 901 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 390 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $21K in drug spend, split 5% brand-name and 95% generic by claim count, with an opioid prescribing rate of 38.1%. 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 19.5231/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 0, Cost 65.077), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Surgery Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 36,191 enrolled providers across 56 states and an average of 169 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 | 1518055334 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Surgery Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 10/10/2006 |
Verify this provider's license
PlainDoctor pulls this profile from the CMS NPPES public registry. Confirm RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.'s current license status, disciplinary history, and board certifications with the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners in Alabama 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: Individual
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 RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$25
Largest payer
Medtronic, 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.
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Generic-heavy
5% brand-name claims vs 95% generic, on 901 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
- 1,208
- Total Day Supply
- 22,123
- Brand vs Generic
- 5% brand / 95% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $6K
- Generic Drug Cost
- $14K
- Opioid Claims
- 343 (38.1% rate)
- Antibiotic Claims
- 150
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 71.5 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.54
- Gender Split
- 53% female / 47% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 57, 65-74: 180, 75-84: 133, 85+: 20
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Hydrocodone-Acetam…
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
275 claims
- Clopidogrel
Clopidogrel
120 claims
- Levothyroxine Sodium 61
Levothyroxine Sodium
61 claims
- Ibuprofen 52
Ibuprofen
52 claims
- Oxycodone-Acetamin… 45
Oxycodone-Acetaminophen
45 claims
- Gabapentin 41
Gabapentin
41 claims
- Sulfamethoxazole-T… 40
Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim
40 claims
- Doxycycline Hyclate 30
Doxycycline Hyclate
30 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 275 |
| Clopidogrel Clopidogrel Bisulfate | 120 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 61 |
| Ibuprofen | 52 |
| Oxycodone-Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 45 |
| Gabapentin | 41 |
| Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim | 40 |
| Doxycycline Hyclate | 30 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 22 |
| Ciprofloxacin Hcl | 21 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Surgery Physician Overview
How RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. fits within the Surgery Physician landscape nationally.
RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.'s 901 claims are above the specialty average of 169.
Nearby Surgery Physician Providers in Alabama
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Alabama, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as NICHOLS.
Compare Surgery Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
How much does RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
What is RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Where is RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. located? ▼
What is RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Does RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Does RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. prescribe opioids? ▼
How many Surgery Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
What drugs does RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Does RANDALL NICHOLS, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
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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