NPPES file of Aug 9, 2026

Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC

Family Nurse Practitioner · Murrells Inlet, SC

Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC is a family nurse practitioner with a practice address in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and NPI 1629261342, issued on Aug 27, 2007. Check the license (South Carolina 18163, as entered in NPPES) with the South Carolina board that licenses this profession; the Medicare figures below come from public CMS files.

Record from CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026 · Medicare files 2023 and 2024 · method · Verify with CMS →

NPPES recordNPPES file of Aug 9, 2026
1629261342
Name
Stephanie Joy Hightower
Credential
FNP-BC
Primary taxonomy
Family Nurse Practitioner 363LF0000X
License numbers
18163 SC
5286P KY
Self-reported in NPPES; status is on the state search
Practice location
4181 Highway 17, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Phone
(843) 652-3600
Enumerated
Aug 27, 2007
Record last updated
Nov 12, 2025
Fax
(843) 652-3602
Medicaid IDs
2780389 OH
3810011174 WV
Medicare enrollment
Enrolled (PECOS I20130830000777); accepts Medicare assignment
Entity
Type 1 · individual
Public record from CMS NPPES (open it on the CMS NPI Registry). Enrollment, assignment, school and telehealth: CMS Doctors and Clinicians file, Aug 2026. A record is not a license: verify it with the state board.
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Also registered at 4181 Highway 17

A shared address usually means a shared clinic or building; it does not show who employs whom.

  1. Tamara Bowman, APRNAdult Health Nurse Practitioner1194059360
  2. Kristyn Gerrol, FNP-BCNurse Practitioner1396268124
  3. Judith Grimm, FNP-CNurse Practitioner1114595980
  4. Tama Harrell, LMSWSocial Worker1477273365
  5. Katie Kennedy, DOHematology & Oncology Physician1104357698
  6. Donald LoweNurse Practitioner1528925765

Verify Stephanie Joy Hightower in five checks

  1. 1IdentityNPI record in CMS NPPESNPI lookupConfirmed in NPPES
  2. 2LicenseActive license and public ordersWhich South Carolina board licenses this profession
    Search for license 18163
    Check the board
  3. 3Other statesLicenses and actions elsewhereDocInfo (FSMB)Not checked
  4. 4ExclusionsMedicare and Medicaid bansHHS-OIG exclusion listNot checked
  5. 5CertificationBoard certificationABMS AOA NCCPA AANPNot checked
Find the South Carolina license search

PlainDoctor does not match the HHS-OIG exclusion list to individual records: most entries carry no NPI. Search the OIG exclusion list by name.

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63% fewer Medicare Part D claims than the average family nurse practitioner in 2024

478 Medicare Part D claims for 199 beneficiaries, against an average of 1,305 among the 140,557 providers of this specialty who prescribed in Part D. Brand-name drugs were 11% of claims. 17 claims were for opioids.

  1. Stephanie Hightower478
  2. Specialty average1,305

Most prescribed

  1. Letrozole59 claims
  2. Hydroxyurea28 claims
  3. Ondansetron Hcl27 claims
  4. Potassium Chloride25 claims
  5. Diphenoxylate-Atropine19 claims
  6. Tramadol Hcl17 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): 100 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.

  1. Qualitynot scored (reweighted)
  2. Costnot scored (reweighted)
  3. Promoting interoperabilityout of 100 · 25%100.0
  4. Improvement activities40 of 40 points · 15%100.0

Source: CMS Quality Payment Program, MIPS performance year 2023, group reporting; category weights for 2023 (qpp.cms.gov).

Industry payments in 2024: $116.84

6 payments; by number, the most common kind was food and beverage; the largest payer was Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. The 99,489 providers of this specialty with any payment received $650.95 on average. Payments are reported by manufacturers, not by the provider, and are not a sign of wrongdoing.

  1. Stephanie Hightower$116.84
  2. Specialty average$650.95

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

  1. Georgetown Memorial HospitalGeorgetown, SC
  2. Georgetown Physician Associates, LLCGeorgetown, SC

Source: CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File (the group practices a clinician bills Medicare through) (data.cms.gov).

Stephanie Joy Hightower among 4,320 family nurse practitioner records in South Carolina

Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC is one of 4,320 family nurse practitioner records with a practice address in South Carolina. 80% of them appear in a Medicare file (Part D prescribing, MIPS, Open Payments or Medicare group billing); this one does. Its NPI, issued in 2007, is newer than 9% of them.

  • NPI issued2007 · 9% of these records are older, 87% newer
  • In a Medicare fileYes · 80% of these records are
  • In the CMS Doctors and Clinicians fileYes · 61% of these records are
  • Graduated2007 · median 2018 among the 2,643 with a school on file
  • Record last updated2025 · 39% of these records were not updated in five years or more

Source: CMS NPPES, file of Aug 9, 2026, every record with primary taxonomy 363LF0000X and a South Carolina practice address; Medicare files: CMS Part D Prescribers 2024, MIPS 2023, Open Payments 2024, Doctors and Clinicians (data.cms.gov).

39 family nurse practitioner records list a practice address in Murrells Inlet

They are 39 of the 480 NPPES records with a practice address in Murrells Inlet, and 4,320 family nurse practitioner records in South Carolina.

The 8 family nurse practitioner records with the nearest ZIP codes

  1. Stacie BartmanMurrells Inlet, SC 295761134545692
  2. Virginia Bell, APRNMurrells Inlet, SC 295761598753329
  3. Craig Cohen, DCMurrells Inlet, SC 295761659406759
  4. Crystal Connors, APRN, FNP-CMurrells Inlet, SC 295761629357272
  5. Naomi Ferguson, FNPMurrells Inlet, SC 295761699217653
  6. Caroline Ford, FNP-CMurrells Inlet, SC 295761043619414
  7. Linda Hudson, APRN, FNP-BC, CPNMurrells Inlet, SC 295761245742782
  8. Virginia Johnston, FNPMurrells Inlet, SC 295761447310438

Common questions

What is Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC's NPI number?

Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1629261342, issued on Aug 27, 2007. An NPI identifies a provider in billing; it is not a license.

Where is Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC located?

The NPPES record lists a practice address at 4181 Highway 17, Murrells Inlet, SC, 29576. Phone: (843) 652-3600. Providers update this record themselves, so call before visiting.

How can I verify Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC's license?

NPPES lists South Carolina license number 18163, as entered by the provider. Search the South Carolina board that licenses this profession; the NPPES record confirms identity only.

How much does Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC prescribe under Medicare Part D?

In 2024, Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC had 478 Medicare Part D claims for 199 beneficiaries; the average among family nurse practitioner prescribers was 1,305. Part D covers Medicare prescriptions only.

What is Stephanie Joy Hightower, FNP-BC's MIPS final score?

The 2023 MIPS final score is 100 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.