2026 NPPES data Interventional Pain Medicine Physician NPI 1689698359 MD
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SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD

Interventional Pain Medicine Physician in DECATUR, Illinois. 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
519
Medicare Part D claims · 186 beneficiaries · Interventional Pain Medicine Physician avg: 2K
MIPS score
93.8828/100
▲ 11 pts above national avg 83.1 · [object Object]
Industry payments
$360.61
16 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
What the federal data reveals: SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD is a Interventional Pain Medicine Physician ([object Object]) practicing in DECATUR, Illinois with a Medicare Part D prescribing footprint of 519 claims across 186 beneficiaries . Their CMS MIPS Final Score of 93.8828/100 (national average: 83.1) reflects performance across Quality, Cost, Interoperability, and Improvement Activities . Industry payments of $360.61 across 16 transactions are disclosed under CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act).

What stands out: SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD reported a CMS MIPS final score of 93.8828 out of 100, above the 83.1 national average, and filed 519 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)

SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, 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).

SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD at a glance

High performer (top quartile)

NPI registry status

Active

Issued 07/27/2006

NPI 1689698359

Primary specialty

Interventional Pain Medicine Physician

Niche

1,528 US NPIs in this specialty

Medicare Part D claims

519 76% vs specialty avg

2023 prescription claims

Specialty avg: 2,197

MIPS final score

93.8828/100 10.782800000000009% pts

Exceptional band

vs 83.1 national avg

Specialty distribution in Illinois

How Interventional Pain Medicine Physician compares to other specialties among Illinois providers

Illinois providers

Interventional Pain Medicine Physician share within Illinois

1. Interventional Pain Medicine Physician42%2. Internal medicine21%3. Family medicine17%4. Surgical12%5. Pediatric8%
Interventional Pain Medicine Physician share within Illinois

Medicare quality performance — MIPS

SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Interventional Pain Medicine Physician national average

High performer (top quartile)
MIPS Final Score
93.8828/100
vs 83.1 national avg · 2023 performance year

MIPS final score (Interventional Pain Medicine Physician) — 93.8828/100 vs national avg 83.1

0%100%National avg83%93.9%
MIPS final score (Interventional Pain Medicine Physician) — 93.8828/100 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).

SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD is a Interventional Pain Medicine Physician provider practicing in DECATUR, Illinois, according to the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Credentials: MD. NPI: 1689698359. 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.

SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Interventional Pain Medicine Physician provider holding MD credentials at 304 W HAY ST STE 213, DECATUR, IL, 62526, with a listed phone of (217) 876-6640. NPI 1689698359 was issued on 07/27/2006. Because NPPES data is self-reported by the provider and refreshed monthly, the address, phone, and specialty reflect what CHERALA 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 519 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 186 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $6K in drug spend, with an opioid prescribing rate of 28.7%. 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 93.8828/100 for the 2023 performance year (Quality 88.8779), compared with the national average of 83.1.

Interventional Pain Medicine Physician is a narrow specialty nationwide, with 1,528 enrolled providers across 53 states and an average of 2,197 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

304 W HAY ST STE 213
DECATUR, IL 62526

Provider Details

NPI 1689698359
Specialty Interventional Pain Medicine Physician
Credentials MD
Gender Male
NPI Issued 07/27/2006

CMS Quality Score (MIPS)

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

93.8828
Final Score
Avg: 83.1
88.8779
Quality
100
Promoting Interoperability

Reporting: Group practice

Hospital and facility affiliations

Facilities where SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, 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.

DECATUR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
★★★☆☆ 3/5
DECATUR, IL
Acute Care Hospitals
CMS CCN: 140135

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 SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.

Total received

$361

Largest payer

Nevro Corp.

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 — Illinois IDFPR 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 ~42K Illinois medical licensees in 2023 — they are NOT specific to SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD. To verify SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's current license status, search the IDFPR public license lookup directly, or check the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) verification service.

106
Total board actions, Illinois 2023
Across 103 cases
2.52
Actions per 1,000 licensees
Illinois statewide rate
probation
Most common action type
38 cases

IDFPR 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 Illinois 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.

519
Total Claims
$6K
Total Drug Cost
186
Medicare Beneficiaries

Prescribing Breakdown

30-Day Fills
620
Total Day Supply
17,043
Generic Drug Cost
$6K
Opioid Claims
149 (28.7% rate)

Patient Demographics

Average Patient Age
74.1 years
Avg HCC Risk Score
1.95
Gender Split
47% female / 53% 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
Meloxicam
237
Tramadol Hcl
76
Gabapentin
35
Diclofenac Sodium
30
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
27
Oxycodone Hcl
19
Tizanidine Hcl
18
Diazepam
14

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

Interventional Pain Medicine Physician Overview

How SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD fits within the Interventional Pain Medicine Physician landscape nationally.

1,528
Interventional Pain Medicine Physician Providers in US
53
States with Interventional Pain Medicine Physician
2,197
Avg Claims per Provider

SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's 519 claims are below the specialty average of 2,197.

Nearby Interventional Pain Medicine Physician Providers in Illinois

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

Compare Interventional Pain Medicine Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's specialty?
SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD specializes in Interventional Pain Medicine Physician and practices in DECATUR, Illinois. Credentials: MD.
How much does SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD prescribe under Medicare Part D?
In 2023, SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD wrote 519 Medicare Part D claims totaling $6K in drug costs for 186 beneficiaries.
What is SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's Medicare quality score?
SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 93.8828/100 (Quality: 88.8779). The national average MIPS Final Score is 83.1. Source: CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2023.
Where is SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD located?
SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD is located at 304 W HAY ST STE 213, DECATUR, IL, 62526. Phone: (217) 876-6640.
What is SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's NPI number?
SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1689698359, issued on 07/27/2006.
Does SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD prescribe opioids?
Yes, SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD had 149 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 28.7%.
How many Interventional Pain Medicine Physician providers are there in the US?
There are 1,528 Interventional Pain Medicine Physician providers across 53 states in the US. The average Interventional Pain Medicine Physician provider writes 2,197 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD prescribe most often?
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's most frequently prescribed drugs include Meloxicam, Tramadol Hcl, Gabapentin. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD accept Medicare?
SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD appears in CMS Medicare data with 519 Part D claims and 186 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's credentials?
SUNDARARAJ CHERALA, MD's NPI is 1689698359 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

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