2026 NPPES data Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician NPI 1760489595 M.D.
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STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician in HOUSTON, Texas. CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System profile including specialty classification, practice address, and Medicare prescribing data when reported.

Federal data — no proprietary rating. PlainDoctor publishes the actual CMS NPPES and Medicare records — NPI registration, specialty, practice location, and prescribing data — without a composite score or editorial opinion on top. Every field traces to a federal source.
Prescribing volume
217
Medicare Part D claims · 96 beneficiaries · Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician avg: 362
MIPS score
74.5447/100
▼ 9 pts below national avg 83.1 · [object Object]
Industry payments
$33.63
1 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
What the federal data reveals: STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. is a Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician ([object Object]) practicing in HOUSTON, Texas with a Medicare Part D prescribing footprint of 217 claims across 96 beneficiaries . Their CMS MIPS Final Score of 74.5447/100 (national average: 83.1) reflects performance across Quality, Cost, Interoperability, and Improvement Activities . Industry payments of $33.63 across 1 transactions are disclosed under CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act).

What stands out: STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 74.5447 out of 100, below the 83.1 national average, and filed 217 Medicare Part D claims in 2023. Every figure on this page comes straight from federal CMS records, with no proprietary rating applied.

Board certification likely (heuristic — not verified)

STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting + 2 hospital affiliations — signals consistent with board-certified status. For verified board certification, see CertificationMatters.org (the official ABMS public lookup).

STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. at a glance

Below national average

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 07/07/2005

NPI 1760489595

Primary specialty

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician

Niche

1,773 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

217 40% vs specialty avg

2023 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 362

MIPS final score

74.5447/100 8.555299999999988% pts

Mid-tier band

vs 83.1 national avg

Specialty distribution in Texas

How Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician compares to other specialties among Texas providers

Texas providers

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician share within Texas

1. Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician42%2. Internal medicine21%3. Family medicine17%4. Surgical12%5. Pediatric8%
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician share within Texas

Medicare quality performance — MIPS

STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician national average

Below national average
MIPS Final Score
74.5447/100
vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year

MIPS final score (Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician) — 74.5447/100 vs national avg 83.1

0%100%National avg83%74.5%
MIPS final score (Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician) — 74.5447/100 vs national avg 83.1

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).

STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. is a Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician provider practicing in HOUSTON, Texas, according to the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Credentials: M.D.. NPI: 1760489595. This profile includes practice location, specialty classification, and organizational affiliations from the CMS provider registry. Provider information is self-reported to CMS and updated monthly.

STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 6560 FANNIN ST, HOUSTON, TX, 77030, with a listed phone of (713) 333-4110. NPI 1760489595 was issued on 07/07/2005. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what ESSES 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 217 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 96 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $5K in drug spend, with an opioid prescribing rate of 63.1%. 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 74.5447/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 70.4691, Cost 44.68), compared with the national average of 83.1.

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician is a narrow specialty nationwide, with 1,773 enrolled providers across 51 states and an average of 362 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

6560 FANNIN ST
HOUSTON, TX 77030

Provider Details

NPI 1760489595
Specialty Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician
Credentials M.D.
Gender Male
NPI Issued 07/07/2005

CMS Quality Score (MIPS)

Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.

74.5447
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
70.4691
Quality
44.68
Cost
100
Promoting Interoperability

Reporting: Group practice

Hospital and facility affiliations

Facilities where STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. 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.

SELECT PHYSICAL THERAPY TEXAS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
SPRING, TX
SOUTHWEST ORTHOPEDIC GROUP, LLP
HOUSTON, TX

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 STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$34

Largest payer

Alphatec Spine, 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 — Texas TMB 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 ~77K Texas medical licensees in 2023 — they are NOT specific to STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.. To verify STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s current license status, search the TMB public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.

344
Total board actions, Texas 2023
Across 334 cases
4.47
Actions per 1,000 licensees
Texas statewide rate
probation
Most common action type
94 cases

TMB 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 Texas 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.

217
Total Claims
$5K
Total Drug Cost
96
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
218
Total Day Supply
3,887
Generic Drug Cost
$2K
Opioid Claims
137 (63.1% rate)

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
69.6 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
1.00
Gender Split
57% female / 43% male

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

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

Drug Claims
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
121
Meloxicam
28
Celecoxib
11

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

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Overview

How STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. fits within the Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician landscape nationally.

1,773
Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Providers in US
51
States with Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician
362
Avg Claims per Provider

STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s 217 claims are below the specialty average of 362.

Nearby Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician Providers in Texas

Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Texas, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as ESSES.

Compare Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s specialty?
STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. specializes in Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician and practices in HOUSTON, Texas. Credentials: M.D..
How much does STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2023, STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. wrote 217 Medicare Part D claims totaling $5K in drug costs for 96 beneficiaries.
What is STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s Medicare quality score?
STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 74.5447/100 (Quality: 70.4691, Cost: 44.68). The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. located?
STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. is located at 6560 FANNIN ST, HOUSTON, TX, 77030. Phone: (713) 333-4110.
What is STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s NPI number?
STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1760489595, issued on 07/07/2005.
Does STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. prescribe opioids?
Yes, STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. had 137 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 63.1%.
How many Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician providers are there in the US?
There are 1,773 Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician providers across 51 states in the US. The average Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician provider writes 362 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. prescribe most often?
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, Meloxicam, Celecoxib. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. accept Medicare?
STEPHEN ESSES, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 217 Part D claims and 96 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s credentials?
STEPHEN ESSES, M.D.'s NPI is 1760489595 with credentials M.D.. 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.
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