NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Family Medicine Physician NPI 1205878220 M.D.
Verify on CMS → Walter Stephens, M.D.
Family Medicine Physician in Dickson, Tennessee.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 147,760 in Family Medicine 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
15K
Medicare Part D claims · 1K beneficiaries · Family Medicine Physician avg: 3K
Generic prescribing
85%
generic claims · 15% brand-name · higher generic rates reduce patient out-of-pocket costs
MIPS score
78.5/100
▼ 5 pts below national avg 83.5 · Above neutral
Industry payments
$1.9K
110 payments · CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act)
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File, 2023
What the federal data shows
Walter Stephens, M.D. reported a CMS MIPS final score of 78.5/100 - below the 83.5 national average - and filed 15,115 Medicare Part D claims in 2023.
- 78.5/100
- MIPS score · -5 vs avg
- 15K
- Part D claims, 2023
- 85%
- generic prescribing
- 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.
CMS NPPES provider registry desk
NPI 1205878220 · Family Medicine Physician
NPI-10 · ENUM-LEGACY · TAX-MEGA · MIPS-BELOW · RX-HEAVY · BOOK-LIGHT · PHOTO-FINISH
- NPI-10 1205878220
- ENUM-LEGACY 2006
- TAX-MEGA 148K Family Medicine
- MIPS-BELOW 78.5/100
- RX-HEAVY 15K claims
- BOOK-LIGHT 2,533 in Tennessee
- PHOTO-FINISH Anant Sonpatki · ±0.0
MIPS final-score neighbourhood
Same-specialty nationwide peers by CMS final score, not geographic proximity
- Stephens · this …
Stephens · this provider
78.5 MIPS pts
- Anant Sonpatki ·…
Anant Sonpatki
78.5 MIPS pts
- Evlyn Avanessian…
Evlyn Avanessian
78.5 MIPS pts
- Gregory Boyd · n…
Gregory Boyd
78.5 MIPS pts
- Dawn McCalla · n…
Dawn McCalla
78.5 MIPS pts
What this shows Nearest measured MIPS peers for this NUCC specialty (2023 performance year).
Walter Stephens, 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.
79 ≥ 23rd percentile 23% of 454,083 measured providers are in lower value bands
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 Walter Stephens, M.D. sits
This provider among family medicine physician peers
Across the 21,266 family medicine physician providers who report both Medicare Part D prescribing and a MIPS quality score, Walter Stephens, M.D. writes more Part D claims than 96% of them and scores higher on MIPS quality than 24% - placing this provider in the high-volume, lower-quality quadrant. Volume reflects patient-panel size and specialty, not quality; the two axes are independent.
Each dot is one family medicine physician peer from a representative sample of 60; the gold marker is Walter Stephens, M.D.. Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber data and the CMS Merit-based Incentive Payment System, 2023.
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Walter Stephens, 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 Walter Stephens, M.D.?
Below national averagePrimary specialty
Family Medicine Physician
Medicare Part D claims
15,115 342% vs specialty avg
MIPS final score
78.5/100 5 pts vs avg
Specialty distribution in Tennessee
Medicare quality performance, MIPS
Walter Stephens, M.D.'s 2023 MIPS final score plotted against the Family Medicine Physician national average
- MIPS Final Score
- 78.5/100
- vs 83.5 national avg · 2023 performance year
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
Provider Details
| NPI | 1205878220 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Family Medicine Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 06/12/2006 |
CMS Quality Score (MIPS)
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) scores from CMS, 2023 performance year.
78.4665
Final Score
Measured-score avg: 83.5
79.252
Quality
73.9698
Cost
100
Promoting Interoperability
Reporting: Group practice
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Walter Stephens, 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.
Advanced Diagnostic Imaging PC
Goodlettsville, TN
Select Physical Therapy Holdings Inc
Clarksville, TN
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 Walter Stephens, M.D.. Source: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Total received
$1.9K
Largest payer
Novo Nordisk 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.
Brand vs generic prescribing mix · Typical
Walter Stephens, M.D. - brand share 15.0%
Family Medicine Physician average
15% brand-name claims vs 85% generic, on 15,115 2023 Medicare Part D claims.
The federal Medicare Part D Generic Dispensing Rate national benchmark sits near 90% generic / 10% brand for primary-care prescribers, per CMS Office of the Actuary 2024 estimates. Higher brand share is common in specialty prescribing where generic equivalents are not available.
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2023.
15,115
Total Claims
$1.6M
Total Drug Cost
1,023
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 32,145
- Total Day Supply
- 930,325
- Brand vs Generic
- 15% brand / 85% generic
- Brand Drug Cost
- $1.3M
- Generic Drug Cost
- $283K
- Opioid Claims
- 523 (3.5% rate)
- Antibiotic Claims
- 210
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 74.9 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 1.16
- Gender Split
- 56% female / 44% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 76, 65-74: 437, 75-84: 379, 85+: 131
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Walter Stephens, M.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Atorvastatin Calcium
Atorvastatin Calcium
916 claims
- Amlodipine Besylate
Amlodipine Besylate
598 claims
- Lisinopril
Lisinopril
565 claims
- Levothyroxine Sodium
Levothyroxine Sodium
524 claims
- Omeprazole
Omeprazole
455 claims
- Gabapentin
Gabapentin
394 claims
- Metformin Hcl Er
Metformin Hcl Er
377 claims
- Alprazolam 356
Alprazolam
356 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 916 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 598 |
| Lisinopril | 565 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 524 |
| Omeprazole | 455 |
| Gabapentin | 394 |
| Metformin Hcl Er Metformin Hcl | 377 |
| Alprazolam | 356 |
| Losartan Potassium | 352 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 327 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Family Medicine Physician Overview
How Walter Stephens, M.D. fits within the Family Medicine Physician landscape nationally.
147,760
Family Medicine Physician Providers in US
56
States with Family Medicine Physician
3,418
Avg Claims per Provider
Walter Stephens, M.D.'s 15,115 claims are above the specialty average of 3,418.
Nationwide Family Medicine Physician peers with similar MIPS or enrollment year
Two federal-record peer sets for Stephens, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar MIPS final score
Nearest same-specialty clinicians by CMS MIPS final score (78.5 here).
Same NPPES enumeration year (2006)
Same-specialty clinicians who entered the NPI registry in the same calendar year, outside this state.
Nearby Family Medicine Physician Providers in Tennessee
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in Tennessee, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Stephens.
One of 2,533 Family Medicine Physician providers enrolled in Tennessee, 5 are shown here.
Dr. John Aaron
MD
Clarksville, TN
Dr. Rebecca Aaron
MD
Clarksville, TN
Dr. Richard Aasheim
M.D.
Greeneville, TN
Dr. Julia Abraham
MD
Knoxville, TN
Dr. Sydney Abramson
MD
Murfreesboro, TN
Compare Family Medicine Physician nationally: see state-by-state distribution →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Walter Stephens, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Walter Stephens, M.D. specializes in Family Medicine Physician and practices in Dickson, Tennessee. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Walter Stephens, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Walter Stephens, M.D. wrote 15,115 Medicare Part D claims totaling $1.6M in drug costs for 1,023 beneficiaries.
What is Walter Stephens, M.D.'s Medicare quality score? ▼
Walter Stephens, M.D. has a CMS MIPS Final Score of 78.5/100 (Quality: 79.3, Cost: 74). 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 Walter Stephens, M.D. located? ▼
Walter Stephens, M.D. is located at 200 CREEKSIDE DR, Dickson, TN, 37055. Phone: (615) 441-6140.
What is Walter Stephens, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Walter Stephens, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1205878220, issued on 06/12/2006.
Does Walter Stephens, M.D. prescribe more brand-name or generic drugs? ▼
Walter Stephens, M.D.'s prescribing is 15% brand-name and 85% generic drugs by claim count, with $1.3M in brand drug costs.
Does Walter Stephens, M.D. prescribe opioids? ▼
Yes, Walter Stephens, M.D. had 523 opioid claims in 2023 with an opioid prescribing rate of 3.5%.
How many Family Medicine Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 147,760 Family Medicine Physician providers across 56 states in the US. The average Family Medicine Physician provider writes 3,418 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Walter Stephens, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Walter Stephens, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Atorvastatin Calcium, Amlodipine Besylate, Lisinopril. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Walter Stephens, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Walter Stephens, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 15,115 Part D claims and 1,023 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Walter Stephens, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Walter Stephens, M.D.'s NPI is 1205878220 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
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.