NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Rheumatology Physician NPI 1528042918 MD
Verify on CMS → Steven Stern, MD
Rheumatology Physician in Louisville, Kentucky.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 6,181 in Rheumatology 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
4K
Medicare Part D claims · 547 beneficiaries · Rheumatology Physician avg: 2K
MIPS score
79.2/100
▼ 4 pts below national avg 83.1 · Above neutral
Industry payments
$16.16
1 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.
What the federal data shows
Steven Stern, MD reported a CMS MIPS final score of 79.2/100 - below the 83.1 national average - and filed 4,377 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 79.2/100
- MIPS score · -4 vs avg
- 4K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 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.
Steven Stern, MD's MIPS score vs every scored U.S. clinician
CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score, 2023, the federal quality measure
79 30th percentile higher than 30% 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
Where Steven Stern, MD sits
This provider among rheumatology physician peers
Across the 2,181 rheumatology physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Steven Stern, MD writes more Part D claims than 86% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 35% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.
Part D claim volume vs MIPS quality, by specialty percentile
Each dot is one rheumatology physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Steven Stern, MD. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Steven Stern, MD practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + MIPS quality reporting + 1 hospital affiliation - 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 Steven Stern, MD?
Near national averagePrimary specialty
Rheumatology Physician
Medicare Part D claims
4,377 113% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
79.2/100 3.9 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in Kentucky
How Rheumatology Physician compares to other specialties among Kentucky providers
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Steven Stern, MD's 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Rheumatology Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 79.2/100
- vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year
MIPS final score (Rheumatology Physician) - 79.2/100 vs national avg 83.1
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).
Steven Stern, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Rheumatology Physician provider holding MD credentials at 100 E LIBERTY ST, Louisville, KY, 40202, with a listed phone of (502) 583-5836. NPI 1528042918 was issued on 11/30/2005.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 4,377 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 547 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $4.2 million in drug spend, with an opioid prescribing rate of 7.0%. On the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, this provider earned a Final Score of 79.2/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 100, Cost 30.7), compared with the national average of 83.1.
Rheumatology Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 6,181 enrolled providers across 52 states and an average of 2,054 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 | 1528042918 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Rheumatology Physician |
| Credentials | MD |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 11/30/2005 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
79.1971
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
100
Quality
30.6571
Cost
100
Promoting Interoperability
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Steven Stern, MD 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.
Kentuckiana Center For Better Bone And Joint Health, PLLC
Louisville, KY
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 Steven Stern, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$16
Largest payer
Amgen 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.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2023.
4,377
Total Claims
$4.2M
Total Drug Cost
547
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 8,141
- Total Day Supply
- 239,142
- Generic Drug Cost
- $164K
- Opioid Claims
- 306 (7.0% rate)
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 73.6 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.46
- Gender Split
- 67% female / 33% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 32, 65-74: 285, 75-84: 190, 85+: 40
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Steven Stern, MD prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Methotrexate
Methotrexate
899 claims
- Prednisone
Prednisone
483 claims
- Leflunomide
Leflunomide
438 claims
- Hydroxychloroquine… 313
Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate
313 claims
- Tramadol Hcl 266
Tramadol Hcl
266 claims
- Allopurinol 148
Allopurinol
148 claims
- Sulfasalazine 136
Sulfasalazine
136 claims
- Duloxetine Hcl 94
Duloxetine Hcl
94 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Methotrexate Methotrexate Sodium | 899 |
| Prednisone | 483 |
| Leflunomide | 438 |
| Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate | 313 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 266 |
| Allopurinol | 148 |
| Sulfasalazine | 136 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 94 |
| Enbrel Sureclick Etanercept | 90 |
| Humira(Cf) Pen Adalimumab | 88 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Rheumatology Physician Overview
How Steven Stern, MD fits within the Rheumatology Physician landscape nationally.
6,181
Rheumatology Physician Providers in US
52
States with Rheumatology Physician
2,054
Avg Claims per Provider
Steven Stern, MD's 4,377 claims are above the specialty average of 2,054.
Nearby Rheumatology Physician Providers in Kentucky
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Kentucky, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Stern.
Dr. Syed Abbas
M.D.
Lexington, KY
Dr. Elaine Alexander
M.D.
Lexington, KY
Dr. Reem Alkilany
MD
Lexington, KY
Dr. Izabela Antic
DO
Lexington, KY
Dr. Billy Bailey
MD
Paducah, KY
Compare Rheumatology Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →
Before you book an appointment
Use this federal record as your verification checklist, not as a recommendation.
- Confirm the NPI record is current in the official CMS registry, providers update their own NPPES details, and moves can lag. Verify this NPI
- Check the active license and any disciplinary history with the Kentucky medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Rheumatology Physician peer on Medicare volume and prescribing patterns. Compare providers
Medicare Part D and MIPS figures describe practice patterns in federal programs only, they are not quality ratings, and PlainDoctor does not rate, rank, or recommend providers.
Healthcare Guides
Learn more about finding, verifying, and understanding healthcare providers.
How to Find a Doctor
Step-by-step guide to choosing a provider
Verify Credentials
Check NPI, board certification & license status
Medical Specialties Explained
Who treats what and how specialties differ
Understanding Medicare Claims Data
What prescribing data reveals about a provider
In-Network vs Out-of-Network
How insurance networks affect your costs
Telehealth Guide
Virtual care options and coverage in 2026
Explore Kentucky
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Steven Stern, MD's specialty? ▼
Steven Stern, MD specializes in Rheumatology Physician and practices in Louisville, Kentucky. Credentials: MD.
How much does Steven Stern, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Steven Stern, MD wrote 4,377 Medicare Part D claims totaling $4.2M in drug costs for 547 beneficiaries.
What is Steven Stern, MD's Medicare quality score? ▼
Steven Stern, MD has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 79.2/100 (Quality: 100, Cost: 30.7). The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is Steven Stern, MD located? ▼
Steven Stern, MD is located at 100 E LIBERTY ST, Louisville, KY, 40202. Phone: (502) 583-5836.
What is Steven Stern, MD's NPI number? ▼
Steven Stern, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1528042918, issued on 11/30/2005.
Does Steven Stern, MD prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Steven Stern, MD had 306 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 7.0%.
How many Rheumatology Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 6,181 Rheumatology Physician providers across 52 states in the US. The average Rheumatology Physician provider writes 2,054 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Steven Stern, MD prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Steven Stern, MD's most frequently prescribed drugs include Methotrexate, Prednisone, Leflunomide. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Steven Stern, MD accept Medicare? ▼
Steven Stern, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 4,377 Part D claims and 547 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Steven Stern, MD's credentials? ▼
Steven Stern, MD's NPI is 1528042918 with credentials MD. 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 PlainDoctor editorial team.