NPI registry status
Active
2026 NPPES data Nephrology Physician NPI 1730354002 M.D.
Verify on CMS → Willie Hester, M.D.
Nephrology Physician in Rutherfordton, North Carolina.
This profile is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES), which lists more than 7 million U.S. healthcare providers - including 10,569 in Nephrology 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 · 116 beneficiaries · Nephrology Physician avg: 1K
Compiled from official public sources by the PlainDoctor editorial team.
What the federal data shows
Willie Hester, M.D. filed 2,115 Medicare Part D claims in 2023 as a Nephrology Physician in Rutherfordton, North Carolina.
- 2K
- 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.
Willie Hester, M.D.'s Medicare Part D volume vs every U.S. prescriber
Total Medicare Part D claims, 2023, across all CMS prescribers nationally
2,115 Top 15% higher than 85% of 1,370,886 prescribers
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more prescribers. 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 Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use File · 2023
✓
Board certification likely (heuristic, not verified)
Willie Hester, M.D. practices in an ABMS-board-eligible specialty and shows active CMS Medicare participation + 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 Willie Hester, M.D.?
Quality data not reportedPrimary specialty
Nephrology Physician
Medicare Part D claims
2,115 45% vs specialty avg
Specialty distribution in North Carolina
How Nephrology Physician compares to other specialties among North Carolina providers
Board certification
Not published by CMS
CMS does not publish a per-provider board-certification field in NPPES. PlainDoctor does not have a reliable per-specialty certification rate to show for Nephrology Physician. Verify directly:
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).
Willie Hester, M.D. appears in the CMS NPPES registry as a Nephrology Physician provider holding M.D. credentials at 288 S RIDGECREST AVE, Rutherfordton, NC, 28139, with a listed phone of (828) 286-5000. NPI 1730354002 was issued on 04/28/2008.
Medicare Part D records for calendar year 2023 show 2,115 prescription claims written by this provider, covering 116 Medicare beneficiaries and totaling roughly $125K in drug spend.
Nephrology Physician is a mid-sized specialty nationwide, with 10,569 enrolled providers across 55 states and an average of 1,454 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 | 1730354002 |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Nephrology Physician |
| Credentials | M.D. |
| Gender | Male |
| NPI Issued | 04/28/2008 |
Hospital and facility affiliations
Facilities where Willie Hester, 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.
Hospital Physician Services - Southeast Professional Corporation
Rutherfordton, NC
Affiliations sourced from CMS Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File; hospital ratings from CMS Hospital General Information dataset (cross-referenced by facility name + state).
Medicare Part D Prescribing Data
CMS Medicare Part D prescriber-level data for calendar year 2023.
2,115
Total Claims
$125K
Total Drug Cost
116
Medicare Beneficiaries
Prescribing Breakdown
- 30-Day Fills
- 2,141
- Total Day Supply
- 39,382
- Generic Drug Cost
- $26K
- Antibiotic Claims
- 50
Patient Demographics
- Average Patient Age
- 74.4 years
- Avg HCC Risk Score
- 2.80
- Gender Split
- 67% female / 33% male
- Age Distribution
- <65: 19, 65-74: 31, 75-84: 43, 85+: 23
Top Prescribed Drugs (Medicare Part D)
Top drugs by claim count for calendar year 2023. Based on Medicare Part D data only.
What Willie Hester, M.D. prescribes most
Top Medicare Part D drugs by claim count, 2023
- Atorvastatin Calcium
Atorvastatin Calcium
129 claims
- Eliquis
Eliquis
100 claims
- Amlodipine Besylate
Amlodipine Besylate
84 claims
- Gabapentin
Gabapentin
80 claims
- Escitalopram Oxalate
Escitalopram Oxalate
77 claims
- Furosemide
Furosemide
71 claims
- Sertraline Hcl
Sertraline Hcl
69 claims
- Trazodone Hcl
Trazodone Hcl
69 claims
| Drug | Claims |
|---|---|
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 129 |
| Eliquis Apixaban | 100 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 84 |
| Gabapentin | 80 |
| Escitalopram Oxalate | 77 |
| Furosemide | 71 |
| Sertraline Hcl | 69 |
| Trazodone Hcl | 69 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 65 |
| Tamsulosin Hcl | 62 |
* Counts below 11 are suppressed by CMS for patient privacy. Generic names shown where available from CMS Part D data.
Nephrology Physician Overview
How Willie Hester, M.D. fits within the Nephrology Physician landscape nationally.
10,569
Nephrology Physician Providers in US
55
States with Nephrology Physician
1,454
Avg Claims per Provider
Willie Hester, M.D.'s 2,115 claims are above the specialty average of 1,454.
Nearby Nephrology Physician Providers in North Carolina
Other clinicians with the same primary specialty enrolled in North Carolina, drawn from the same CMS NPPES roster as Hester.
Dr. Sosan Abdullah
MD
Morganton, NC
Dr. Tariq Abo-Kamil
MD
Henderson, NC
Dr. Moses Aboagye-Kumi
M.D.
Fayetteville, NC
Dr. Maureen Achuko
M.D.
Fayetteville, NC
Dr. Patricia Adams
MD
Winston Salem, NC
Compare Nephrology 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 North Carolina medical board, federal registration is not a license check. Credential verification guide
- Weigh a second option: compare this provider with a nearby Nephrology 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
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Medical Specialties Explained
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Understanding Medicare Claims Data
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Explore North Carolina
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Willie Hester, M.D.'s specialty? ▼
Willie Hester, M.D. specializes in Nephrology Physician and practices in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. Credentials: M.D..
How much does Willie Hester, M.D. prescribe under Medicare Part D? ▼
In 2023, Willie Hester, M.D. wrote 2,115 Medicare Part D claims totaling $125K in drug costs for 116 beneficiaries.
Where is Willie Hester, M.D. located? ▼
Willie Hester, M.D. is located at 288 S RIDGECREST AVE, Rutherfordton, NC, 28139. Phone: (828) 286-5000.
What is Willie Hester, M.D.'s NPI number? ▼
Willie Hester, M.D.'s National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1730354002, issued on 04/28/2008.
How many Nephrology Physician providers are there in the US? ▼
There are 10,569 Nephrology Physician providers across 55 states in the US. The average Nephrology Physician provider writes 1,454 Medicare Part D claims per year.
What drugs does Willie Hester, M.D. prescribe most often? ▼
Based on 2023 Medicare Part D data, Willie Hester, M.D.'s most frequently prescribed drugs include Atorvastatin Calcium, Eliquis, Amlodipine Besylate. This reflects Medicare Part D prescriptions only and does not include commercial insurance or other payer types.
Does Willie Hester, M.D. accept Medicare? ▼
Willie Hester, M.D. appears in CMS Medicare data with 2,115 Part D claims and 116 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm current Medicare enrollment and accepted plans.
How can I verify Willie Hester, M.D.'s credentials? ▼
Willie Hester, M.D.'s NPI is 1730354002 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.
- 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.
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.