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2026 NPPES data Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician NPI 1487709986 M.D.
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Stephen Karol, M.D.

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician in Merrillville, Indiana.

This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 15,336 in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician, 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
2K
Medicare Part D claims · 317 beneficiaries · Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician avg: 781
MIPS score
70/100
▼ 13 pts below national avg 83.5 · Mid-tier
Industry payments
$44.77
2 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Verify NPI on CMS Methodology
Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

What the federal data shows

Stephen Karol, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 70/100 - below the 83.5 national average - and filed 1,547 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.

70/100
MIPS score · -13 vs avg
2K
Part D claims, 2023
Likely
board-certified (heuristic)
≥9th
pct among measured MIPS (lower-bound band)

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.

Federal trust snapshot

What official records show about Stephen Karol, M.D.

Federal records show an active NPI with both Medicare prescribing volume and a measured CMS quality score — objective registry data, not patient reviews.

  • Verified

    NPI registry status

    Active listing in the CMS National Provider Identifier Registry (NPI 1487709986), first enumerated 01/24/2007.

    Source: CMS NPPES

  • Reported

    Medicare Part D participation

    Filed 1,547 Medicare Part D prescription claims in the 2023 CMS public use file — indicates active Medicare prescribing participation.

    Source: CMS Part D Prescriber PUF

  • Reported

    CMS quality reporting (MIPS)

    Reported a CMS MIPS final score of 70/100 in the Quality Payment Program — a federal quality measure, not a patient review.

    Source: CMS Quality Payment Program

  • Reported

    Board certification signal

    Heuristic suggests board-certified status based on ABMS-eligible specialty taxonomy plus active CMS participation signals — not a direct ABMS verification.

    Source: NUCC taxonomy + CMS participation heuristic

  • Reported

    Hospital affiliations

    2 CMS Care Compare hospital affiliations on record — practice footprint from the Doctors and Clinicians file.

    Source: CMS Care Compare

  • Reported

    Industry payment transparency

    $44.77 in reported industry payments (2 transfers) in 2024 under the federal Sunshine Act — disclosed transfers of value, not a quality rating.

    Source: CMS Open Payments

  • Not in federal data

    Individual sanction lookup

    PlainDoctor does not publish per-provider disciplinary determinations. Confirm current license and any individual actions through the state medical board or FSMB verification service.

    Source: State medical board / FSMB

This trust snapshot summarizes only what appears in federal CMS/NPPES public records. It is not a composite score, star rating, patient review, or clinical recommendation. PlainDoctor never fabricates reviews or AggregateRating schema.

CMS NPPES provider registry desk

NPI 1487709986 · Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician

NPI-10 · ENUM-MID · TAX-MID · MIPS-LOW · RX-MID · BOOK-THIN · PHOTO-FINISH

  • NPI-10 1487709986
  • ENUM-MID 2007
  • TAX-MID 15K Physical Medicine
  • MIPS-LOW 70/100
  • RX-MID 1,547
  • BOOK-THIN 208 in Indiana
  • PHOTO-FINISH James Ellis · ±0.1

MIPS final-score neighbourhood

Same-specialty nationwide peers by CMS final score, not geographic proximity

MIPS pts

What this shows Nearest measured MIPS peers for this NUCC specialty (2023 performance year).

Source CMS Quality Payment Program (MIPS) As of 2023

Stephen Karol, M.D.'s MIPS score vs every measured U.S. clinician

CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023, the federal quality measure. Clinicians whose score CMS assigned without scoring any category are excluded.

70 ≥ 9th percentile 9% of 454,083 measured providers are in lower value bands

0–10: 8,684 measured providers (2%). Below this entry. 10–20: 3,008 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 20–30: 3,069 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 30–40: 2,746 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 40–50: 2,928 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,882 measured providers (1%). Below this entry. 60–70: 13,906 measured providers (3%). Below this entry. 70–80: 94,570 measured providers (21%). This entry sits in this band. 80–90: 129,887 measured providers (29%). Above this entry. 90+: 189,403 measured providers (42%). Above this entry. This provider 0 100 every measured MIPS clinician, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more measured 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.

The percentile is a conservative whole-score-point band: it counts only measured clinicians in lower score bands. A CMS MIPS metric is not a recommendation or a clinical-quality rating by PlainDoctor. See methodology § corpus placement.

Source CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) · 2023

Where Stephen Karol, M.D. sits

This provider among physical medicine & rehabilitation physician peers

Across the 2,483 physical medicine & rehabilitation physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Stephen Karol, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 85% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 17% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.

Lower volume · High qualityHigh volume · High qualityLower volume · Lower qualityHigh volume · Lower quality0255075100023.647.370.994.5Part D claim volume, percentile in specialtyMIPS quality, percentilePoint, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 68 · MIPS quality, percentile: 87Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 28 · MIPS quality, percentile: 73Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 22 · MIPS quality, percentile: 82Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 18 · MIPS quality, percentile: 42Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 23 · MIPS quality, percentile: 47Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 85 · MIPS quality, percentile: 63Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 8 · MIPS quality, percentile: 12Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 48 · MIPS quality, percentile: 58Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 35 · MIPS quality, percentile: 78Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 3 · MIPS quality, percentile: 20Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 2 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 17 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 42 · MIPS quality, percentile: 13Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 100 · MIPS quality, percentile: 65Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 12 · MIPS quality, percentile: 62Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 15 · MIPS quality, percentile: 88Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 93 · MIPS quality, percentile: 52Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 45 · MIPS quality, percentile: 37Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 82 · MIPS quality, percentile: 68Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 47 · MIPS quality, percentile: 33Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 52 · MIPS quality, percentile: 43Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 75 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 0 · MIPS quality, percentile: 40Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 87 · MIPS quality, percentile: 78Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 62 · MIPS quality, percentile: 30Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 67 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 63 · MIPS quality, percentile: 50Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 77 · MIPS quality, percentile: 70Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 58 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 8 · MIPS quality, percentile: 8Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 37 · MIPS quality, percentile: 82Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 83 · MIPS quality, percentile: 38Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 95 · MIPS quality, percentile: 23Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 70 · MIPS quality, percentile: 57Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 43 · MIPS quality, percentile: 82Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 60 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 38 · MIPS quality, percentile: 45Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 88 · MIPS quality, percentile: 60Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 72 · MIPS quality, percentile: 35Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 40 · MIPS quality, percentile: 27Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 53 · MIPS quality, percentile: 32Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 97 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 7 · MIPS quality, percentile: 77Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 80 · MIPS quality, percentile: 18Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 65 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 27 · MIPS quality, percentile: 53Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 73 · MIPS quality, percentile: 10Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 13 · MIPS quality, percentile: 72Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 5 · MIPS quality, percentile: 67Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 25 · MIPS quality, percentile: 25Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 32 · MIPS quality, percentile: 55Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 50 · MIPS quality, percentile: 15Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 57 · MIPS quality, percentile: 48Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 78 · MIPS quality, percentile: 7Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 98 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 92 · MIPS quality, percentile: 90Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 20 · MIPS quality, percentile: 17Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 30 · MIPS quality, percentile: 75Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 55 · MIPS quality, percentile: 0Point, Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 33 · MIPS quality, percentile: 28Stephen Karol, M.D., Part D claim volume, percentile in specialty: 85 · MIPS quality, percentile: 17
Part D claim volume vs MIPS quality, by specialty percentile

Each dot is one physical medicine & rehabilitation physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Stephen Karol, M.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.

✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)

Stephen Karol, 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).

What does the federal data show about Stephen Karol, M.D.?

Below national average

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 01/24/2007

NPI 1487709986

Primary specialty

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician

Mid-sized

15,336 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

1,547 98% vs specialty avg

2023 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 781

MIPS final score

70/100 13.5 pts vs avg

Mid-tier band

vs 83.5 national avg

Specialty distribution in Indiana

How Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician compares to other specialties among Indiana providers

Indiana providers
Behavior Technician13.6%Student in an Organized Heal…4.7%Pharmacist4.3%Family Nurse Practitioner4.2%Clinical Social Worker4.2%Mental Health Counselor4.1%Physical Medicine & Rehabili…0.2%
Largest specialties in Indiana (% of in-state providers)

Medicare quality performance, MIPS

Stephen Karol, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician national average

Below national average
MIPS Final Score
70/100
vs 83.5 national avg · 2023 performance year
0%100%National avg84%70%
MIPS final score (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician) - 70/100 vs national avg 83.5
How MIPS and board certification work

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).

Practice Address

521 E 86TH AVE
Merrillville, IN 46410
(219) 769-0777

Provider Details

NPI 1487709986
Specialty Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician
Credentials M.D.
Gender Male
NPI Issued 01/24/2007

CMS Quality Score (MIPS)

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

70.0414
Final Score
Measured-score avg: 83.5
80.668
Quality
25.914
Cost

Reporting: Group practice

Hospital and facility affiliations

Facilities where Stephen Karol, 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.

Chesterton Physical Therapy Inc
Chesterton, IN
Rci (wrs) LLC
Valparaiso, IN

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 Karol, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$45

Largest payer

Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC

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.

1,547
Total Claims
$86K
Total Drug Cost
317
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
1,667
Total Day Supply
41,675
Generic Drug Cost
$23K
Opioid Claims
218 (14.1% rate)
Antibiotic Claims
22

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
75.2 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
2.61
Gender Split
55% female / 45% male
Age Distribution
<65: 31, 65-74: 110, 75-84: 119, 85+: 57

Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)

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

What Stephen Karol, M.D. 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
Atorvastatin Calcium
 99
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
79
Gabapentin
 68
Ondansetron Odt
Ondansetron
64
Amlodipine Besylate
 55
Oxycodone-Acetaminophen
Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen
55
Lisinopril
 52
Furosemide
 50
Metoprolol Tartrate
 40
Carvedilol
 38

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

More Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician in IN → All providers in Indiana → Compare specialties →

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician Overview

How Stephen Karol, M.D. fits within the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician landscape nationally.

15,336
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician Providers in US
54
States with Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician
781
Avg Claims per Provider

Stephen Karol, M.D.'s 1,547 claims are above the specialty average of 781.

Nationwide Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician peers with similar MIPS or enrollment year

Two federal-record peer sets for Karol, both outside Indiana so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar MIPS final score

Nearest same-specialty clinicians by CMS MIPS final score (70 here).

James Ellis 70.1 MI Adam Hull 70.1 MI Randolph Russo 70.1 MI Kevin Shaver 70.1 MI

Same NPPES enumeration year (2007)

Same-specialty clinicians who entered the NPI registry in the same calendar year, outside this state.

Michael Chen Sandy, UT Victor Cardona Munoz San Juan, PR Bahman Nazeri Carmichael, CA Anne McGowan Bresnahan Breezy Point, NY

Nearby Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician Providers in Indiana

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

One of 208 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician providers enrolled in Indiana, 5 are shown here.

Dr. Mezgebe Abegaz
M.D.
Crown Point, IN
Dr. Mohammed Adeel
MD
Newburgh, IN
Dr. Bianca Ainhorn
MD
Indianapolis, IN
Dr. Eric Aitken
MD
Indianapolis, IN
Dr. Revathy Ameeruddin
MD
Dyer, IN

Compare Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Stephen Karol, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Stephen Karol, M.D. specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician and practices in Merrillville, Indiana. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Stephen Karol, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Stephen Karol, M.D. wrote 1,547 Medicare Part D claims totaling $86K in drug costs for 317 beneficiaries.
What is Stephen Karol, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Stephen Karol, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 70/100 (Quality: 80.7, Cost: 25.9). The average MIPS Final Score across the 454,083 clinicians with at least one published category score is 83.5; clinicians whose score CMS assigned without scoring any category are excluded from that average. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Stephen Karol, M.D. located? ▼
Stephen Karol, M.D. is located at 521 E 86TH AVE, Merrillville, IN, 46410. Phone: (219) 769-0777.
What is Stephen Karol, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Stephen Karol, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1487709986, issued on 01/24/2007.
Does Stephen Karol, M.D. prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Stephen Karol, M.D. had 218 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 14.1%.
How many Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 15,336 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician providers across 54 states in the US. The average Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician provider writes 781 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Stephen Karol, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Stephen Karol, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Atorvastatin Calcium, Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, Gabapentin. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Stephen Karol, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Stephen Karol, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 1,547 Part D claims and 317 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Stephen Karol, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Stephen Karol, M.D.'s NPI is 1487709986 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

View source datasets and methodology notes
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

Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

Every figure on PlainDoctor is rendered directly from the federal CMS NPPES registry, Medicare Part D, MIPS, and Open Payments records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.