Prescriber Checkup
The Doctors and Drugs in Medicare Part D
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HOWARD NOVECK M.D.
225 MAY ST SUITE F
Edison | New Jersey | 08837
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At A Glance: This Prescriber in 2015
Self-Reported Primary Specialty
Rank: 2 out of 55
Rank: 3 out of 55
How Does This Prescriber Compare to Peers?
In the same specialty and state. Caveats »
this specialty
in New Jersey lower than average
Antipsychotics
This provider prescribed antipsychotics to at least one but fewer than 11 patients who are 65 and older, so Medicare redacted the exact figure. Comparisons are not shown.
Antibiotics
9% of this provider’s 632 patients filled at least one prescription for an antibiotic drug, compared to an average of 4%.
Risky Drugs for Seniors
13% of this provider’s 601 patients 65 and older filled at least one prescription for a potentially inappropriate drug, compared to an average of 7%.
Opioids
2% of this provider’s 632 patients filled at least one prescription for an opioid, compared to an average of 2%.
Brand Name Drugs
29% of this provider’s prescriptions were for brand-name drugs, compared to an average of 25%.
Prescription Price
$124 was the average price of a prescription from this provider, compared to $95 among peers.
Prescriptions per Patient
13 is the average number of prescriptions (including refills) per patient, compared to an average of 9.
How This Provider’s Patients Compare
Doctors often say their patients are sicker or more complex than those of their peers. The measure displayed below, used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, takes into account patients’ characteristics to estimate whether they are expected to have above-average Medicare spending. It considers patients’ age, sex, diagnoses from the past year and other factors. This provider’s score below takes into account all patients.
This Provider's History
A comparison of this provider’s prescribing in Part D since 2012. All years may not be shown if there is insufficient data.
Cost of Claims
$708K
2012
$909K
2013
$1.02M
2014
$1.05M
2015
Number of Claims
6,578
2012
8,407
2013
8,831
2014
8,495
2015
This Prescriber's Drugs
The table below list this provider’s drugs, the number of prescriptions and how many went to seniors. Drugs are ranked by volume and compared with the rank for all providers in the same specialty and state. The list below includes only those drugs for which this provider wrote 50 or more prescriptions.
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An opioid drug. More » Prescription opioids (painkillers) can help alleviate certain kinds of pain in the short term but carry serious health risks.
An antibiotic drug. More » Used to treat bacterial infections but are often prescribed incorrectly to treat viral infections, such as chest colds or the flu.
An antipsychotic drug. More » Antipsychotics are frequently given to dementia patients, though it increases their risk of death.
A risky drug for seniors. More » The American Geriatrics Society has said this drug is "potentially dangerous" for seniors and might be inappropriate.
This provider is among the top 10 prescribers of this drug in the country.
This provider’s prescriptions for this drug were for more days than those of peers. More » Because of this, his or her prescription count may be lower.
This provider’s prescriptions for this drug were for fewer days than those of peers. More » Because of this, his or her prescription count may be higher.
This Drug's Rank
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---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Drug Name | Total Prescriptions Filled with Refills |
Prescriptions to 65+ |
Patients Receiving this Drug | Category | For this Prescriber | For this Prescriber's Peers |
ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM
Treats high cholesterol and... + Treats high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Source: National Library of Medicine |
457
prescriptions, 5% of all prescriptions |
427
prescriptions. |
136
patients, 22% of all patients |
1 | 1 | |
CLOPIDOGREL
Helps prevent stroke, heart... + Helps prevent stroke, heart attack, and other heart problems. Source: National Library of Medicine |
352
prescriptions, 4% of all prescriptions |
329
prescriptions. |
108
patients, 17% of all patients |
2 | 3 | |
METOPROLOL TARTRATE
Metoprolol is used alone or... + Metoprolol is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
293
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
278
prescriptions. |
97
patients, 15% of all patients |
3 | 5 | |
METOPROLOL SUCCINATE
Metoprolol is used alone or... + Metoprolol is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
290
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
269
prescriptions. |
97
patients, 15% of all patients |
4 | 2 | |
AMLODIPINE BESYLATE
Amlodipine is used alone or... + Amlodipine is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure and chest pain (angina). Source: National Library of Medicine |
269
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
264
prescriptions. |
102
patients, 16% of all patients |
5 | 4 | |
FUROSEMIDE
Treats fluid retention (ede... + Treats fluid retention (edema) and high blood pressure (hypertension). Source: National Library of Medicine |
263
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
258
prescriptions. |
91
patients, 14% of all patients |
6 | 8 | |
LISINOPRIL
Treats high blood pressure ... + Treats high blood pressure and heart failure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
234
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
229
prescriptions. |
74
patients, 12% of all patients |
7 | 7 | |
LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM
Levothyroxine, a thyroid ho... + Levothyroxine, a thyroid hormone, is used to treat hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Source: National Library of Medicine |
214
prescriptions, 3% of all prescriptions |
209
prescriptions. |
55
patients, 9% of all patients |
8 | 27 | |
ALLOPURINOL
Treats gout and some kinds ... + Treats gout and some kinds of kidney stones. Source: National Library of Medicine |
161
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
156
prescriptions. |
37
patients, 6% of all patients |
9 | 66 | |
BYSTOLIC
Treats high blood pressure.... + Treats high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
154
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
149
prescriptions. |
29
patients, 5% of all patients |
10 | 23 | |
PRAVASTATIN SODIUM
Pravastatin is used with di... + Pravastatin is used with diet, weight-loss, and exercise to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke and to decrease the chance that heart surgery will be needed in people who have heart disease or who are at risk of developing heart disease. Source: National Library of Medicine |
153
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
148
prescriptions. |
42
patients, 7% of all patients |
11 | 15 | |
SIMVASTATIN
Treats high cholesterol and... + Treats high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Source: National Library of Medicine |
151
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
146
prescriptions. |
53
patients, 8% of all patients |
12 | 6 | |
SPIRONOLACTONE
Treats fluid retention (ede... + Treats fluid retention (edema) in patients with congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis, or nephrotic syndrome. Source: National Library of Medicine |
133
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
121
prescriptions. |
43
patients, 7% of all patients |
13 | 24 | |
METFORMIN HCL
Metformin is used alone or ... + Metformin is used alone or with other medications, including insulin, to treat type 2 diabetes (condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood). Source: National Library of Medicine |
131
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
118
prescriptions. |
44
patients, 7% of all patients |
14 | 31 | |
WARFARIN SODIUM
Warfarin is used to prevent... + Warfarin is used to prevent blood clots from forming or growing larger in your blood and blood vessels. Source: National Library of Medicine |
129
prescriptions, 2% of all prescriptions |
129
prescriptions. |
40
patients, 6% of all patients |
15 | 9 | |
CARVEDILOL
Treats high blood pressure ... + Treats high blood pressure and congestive heart failure (CHF). Source: National Library of Medicine |
119
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
119
prescriptions. |
39
patients, 6% of all patients |
16 | 10 | |
XARELTO
Used to treat deep vein thr... + Used to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT; a blood clot, usually in the leg) and pulmonary embolism (PE; a blood clot in the lung). Source: National Library of Medicine |
118
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
118
prescriptions. |
25
patients, 4% of all patients |
17 | 17 | |
POTASSIUM CHLORIDE
Potassium is needed to main... + Potassium is needed to maintain good health. Source: National Library of Medicine |
107
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
107
prescriptions. |
36
patients, 6% of all patients |
18 | 22 | |
CRESTOR
Lowers high levels of chole... + Lowers high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (fats) in your blood. Source: National Library of Medicine |
102
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
97
prescriptions. |
34
patients, 5% of all patients |
19 | 11 | |
VALSARTAN
Valsartan is used alone or ... + Valsartan is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
99
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
94
prescriptions. |
38
patients, 6% of all patients |
20 | 20 | |
PANTOPRAZOLE SODIUM
Pantoprazole is used to tre... + Pantoprazole is used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which backward flow of acid from the stomach causes heartburn and possible injury of the esophagus (the tube between the throat and stomach). Source: National Library of Medicine |
89
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
84
prescriptions. |
27
patients, 4% of all patients |
21 | 29 | |
DOXAZOSIN MESYLATE
Doxazosin (Cardura, Cardura... + Doxazosin (Cardura, Cardura XL) is used in men to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), which include difficulty urinating (hesitation, dribbling, weak stream, and incomplete bladder emptying), painful urination, and urinary frequency and urgency. Source: National Library of Medicine |
89
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
89
prescriptions. |
24
patients, 4% of all patients |
21 | 53 | |
BRILINTA
Used along with aspirin to ... + Used along with aspirin to prevent serious or life-threatening problems with the heart and blood vessels in people who have had a heart attack or severe chest pain. Source: National Library of Medicine |
86
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
86
prescriptions. |
17
patients, 3% of all patients |
23 | 43 | |
LOSARTAN POTASSIUM
Losartan is used alone or i... + Losartan is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
81
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
76
prescriptions. |
30
patients, 5% of all patients |
24 | 12 | |
ZETIA
Lowers cholesterol in your ... + Lowers cholesterol in your blood. Source: National Library of Medicine |
80
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
75
prescriptions. |
16
patients, 3% of all patients |
25 | 25 | |
DIGOX
Digox (digoxin) is used to ... + Digox (digoxin) is used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Source: National Library of Medicine |
79
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
79
prescriptions. |
25
patients, 4% of all patients |
R | 26 | 45 |
RAMIPRIL
Treats high blood pressure ... + Treats high blood pressure and heart failure after a heart attack. Source: National Library of Medicine |
77
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
72
prescriptions. |
28
patients, 4% of all patients |
27 | 13 | |
JANUVIA
Treats type 2 diabetes. Use... + Treats type 2 diabetes. Source: National Library of Medicine |
77
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
72
prescriptions. |
19
patients, 3% of all patients |
27 | 80 | |
MULTAQ
Treats heart rhythm problem... + Treats heart rhythm problems in patients who have a history of atrial fibrillation. Source: National Library of Medicine |
72
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
72
prescriptions. |
16
patients, 3% of all patients |
29 | 71 | |
SOTALOL
Treats an irregular heartbe... + Treats an irregular heartbeat. Source: National Library of Medicine |
70
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
70
prescriptions. |
19
patients, 3% of all patients |
30 | 64 | |
SERTRALINE HCL
Sertraline is used to treat... + Sertraline is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (bothersome thoughts that won't go away and the need to perform certain actions over and over), panic attacks (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks), posttraumatic stress disorder (disturbing psychological symptoms that develop after a frightening experience), and social anxiety disorder (extreme fear of interacting with others or performing in front of others that interferes with normal life). Source: National Library of Medicine |
69
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
64
prescriptions. |
24
patients, 4% of all patients |
31 | 83 | |
SYNTHROID
Treats hypothyroidism. + Treats hypothyroidism. Source: National Library of Medicine |
69
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
69
prescriptions. |
19
patients, 3% of all patients |
31 | 83 | |
SPIRONOLACTONE-HCTZ
The combination of spironol... + The combination of spironolactone and hydrochlorothiazide, a 'water pill,' is used to treat high blood pressure and fluid retention caused by various conditions, including heart disease. Source: National Library of Medicine |
68
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
68
prescriptions. |
29
patients, 5% of all patients |
33 | 85 | |
OMEPRAZOLE
Treats heartburn, stomach u... + Treats heartburn, stomach ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and conditions that cause your stomach to make too much acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, endocrine tumors, and systemic mastocytosis. Source: National Library of Medicine |
67
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
55
prescriptions. |
16
patients, 3% of all patients |
34 | 36 | |
GLIMEPIRIDE
Treats type 2 diabetes. Use... + Treats type 2 diabetes. Source: National Library of Medicine |
66
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
61
prescriptions. |
14
patients, 2% of all patients |
35 | 87 | |
BENICAR
Treats high blood pressure.... + Treats high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
65
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
65
prescriptions. |
16
patients, 3% of all patients |
36 | 40 | |
LISINOPRIL-HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE
Treats high blood pressure.... + Treats high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
62
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
62
prescriptions. |
21
patients, 3% of all patients |
37 | 50 | |
BISOPROLOL FUMARATE
Bisoprolol is used alone or... + Bisoprolol is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
60
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
55
prescriptions. |
16
patients, 3% of all patients |
38 | 59 | |
EPLERENONE |
60
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
60
prescriptions. |
13
patients, 2% of all patients |
38 | 60 | |
TAMSULOSIN HCL
Tamsulosin is used in men t... + Tamsulosin is used in men to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH) which include difficulty urinating (hesitation, dribbling, weak stream, and incomplete bladder emptying), painful urination, and urinary frequency and urgency. Source: National Library of Medicine |
60
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
55
prescriptions. |
24
patients, 4% of all patients |
38 | 56 | |
FENOFIBRIC ACID*
Lowers high cholesterol and... + Lowers high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Source: National Library of Medicine |
57
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
52
prescriptions. |
15
patients, 2% of all patients |
41 | 97 | |
NIACIN ER
Lowers cholesterol and trig... + Lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood and treats niacin deficiency (pellagra). Source: National Library of Medicine |
57
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
57
prescriptions. |
12
patients, 2% of all patients |
41 | 67 | |
VALSARTAN-HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE
Treats high blood pressure. + Treats high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
54
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
54
prescriptions. |
17
patients, 3% of all patients |
43 | 30 | |
LOSARTAN-HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE
This drug is used to treat ... + This drug is used to treat high blood pressure. Source: National Library of Medicine |
53
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
53
prescriptions. |
12
patients, 2% of all patients |
44 | 32 | |
DIGOXIN
Treats certain heart rhythm... + Treats certain heart rhythm problems (atrial fibrillation). Source: National Library of Medicine |
53
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
53
prescriptions. |
19
patients, 3% of all patients |
R | 44 | 51 |
GEMFIBROZIL
Lowers high triglyceride an... + Lowers high triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Source: National Library of Medicine |
52
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
52
prescriptions. |
13
patients, 2% of all patients |
46 | 102 | |
TOPROL XL
Treats high blood pressure ... + Treats high blood pressure and angina (chest pain), and lowers the risk of repeated heart attacks. Source: National Library of Medicine |
51
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
51
prescriptions. |
15
patients, 2% of all patients |
47 | 18 | |
NEXIUM
Treats heartburn, gastroeso... + Treats heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and conditions that cause your stomach to make too much acid. Source: National Library of Medicine |
50
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
45
prescriptions. |
16
patients, 3% of all patients |
48 | 63 | |
ULORIC
Used to treat hyperuricemia... + Used to treat hyperuricemia (high uric acid in the blood) in patients with gout. Source: National Library of Medicine |
50
prescriptions, 1% of all prescriptions |
37
prescriptions. |
<11 | 48 | 105 |
About This Data
Prescribing data from Medicare’s prescription drug benefit, known as Part D, was compiled and released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that oversees the program. The data for 2015 includes more than 1.4 billion prescriptions written by nearly 1.4 million doctors, nurses and other providers. This database lists about 447,000 of those providers who wrote 50 or more prescriptions for at least one drug that year. More than three-fourths of these prescriptions went to patients 65 and older; the rest were for disabled patients. Methodology »
Incorrect Info?
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Caveats
- No comparisons are shown if there are fewer than 20 prescribers in the state share this specialty.
- Comparisons do not take into account the medical conditions of patients. Medications for certain conditions do not have generic alternatives, so patients would receive more expensive brand name drugs.
- This provider's address and specialty information was last updated on June 9, 2015.
- Comparisons are based on each provider’s current address, not necessarily where he or she worked during the time period covered in this database.
- In rare circumstances, providers' prescription tallies may be inflated. Sometimes providers are credited with prescriptions written by colleagues (this happens in long-term care facilities) or are victims of fraud involving theft of their provider number.