Steven Shields, MD
As reported to Medicare
- Credential
- MD
- Primary specialty
- Ophthalmology
- Medical school graduation
- 1986
- Medical school
- Washington University School of Medicine
- National Provider Identifier (NPI)
- 1548296452
Total number of lens replacement surgeries and YAG laser capsulotomies this clinician billed to Medicare in the most recent 12-month claims period, according to CMS.
Percentile rank of 134 surgeries compared to other clinicians with a primary specialty of Ophthalmology who have billed Medicare for at least one cataract surgery in the same period.
The figures above reflect only procedures that this clinician billed to Medicare, according to CMS. Therefore, they may not reflect the total number of procedures this clinician performed during the 12-month reporting period. See Understanding CMS Data below.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (August 18, 2026 release).
Steven Shields's Cataract Surgery Billing Volume Compared to Peers
Reading the curve: find a volume along the bottom, and the line gives the percentile of clinicians with a primary specialty of Ophthalmology at or below it. The marked point is this clinician. The shaded block covers the 2,740 clinicians CMS reports as 1-10, because CMS suppresses counts below 11. The axis runs from 0 to 4,259, the highest count CMS reports in the group, and gives low counts more room than high ones so the whole range fits. The labels under the axis mark the 25th percentile, the median and the 75th percentile.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (August 18, 2026 release).
| Percentile | Cataract Surgeries billed to Medicare |
|---|---|
| 30th | 27 |
| 40th | 57 |
| 50th | 99 |
| 60th | 150 |
| 70th | 217 |
| 80th | 305 |
| 90th | 468 |
| Highest | 4,259 |
Previous data releases
CMS refreshes this data "on a quarterly basis, as technically feasible." The table shows this clinician's figures from each CMS data release.
| CMS data release | Cataract surgeries billed | Percentile rank |
|---|---|---|
| August 18, 2026 Current | 134 | 57% |
| August 11, 2026 Prior | 134 | 57% |
| June 26, 2026 Prior | 134 | 57% |
About these releases. Each release counts procedures over what CMS describes as "a one-year observation window, with a lookback beginning three months prior to the present day", allowing three months for claims to be submitted and processed. CMS does not publish the start and end dates of the window behind any release, and consecutive releases may cover overlapping periods, or the same period with later-arriving claims added.
Understanding CMS Data
CMS's "Cataract surgery" category combines specific billing codes for cataract surgery to calculate the number of times each clinician billed Medicare for a "Cataract surgery." These include lens replacement surgery and YAG laser capsulotomy, a laser treatment that can follow cataract surgery. CMS reports only procedures that clinicians billed to Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Therefore, CMS's procedure volume data does not include procedures that clinicians may have performed on patients who have other health care coverage (e.g., commercial insurance, self-pay, or the VA). Billing variation and coding errors can also affect CMS's data. Therefore, the number of procedures that CMS reports for a clinician may be higher or lower than the actual number of cataract surgeries a clinician performed during the reporting period. Lastly, only clinicians with a primary specialty of Ophthalmology (as reported to Medicare) are presented.
National Percentile Calculation
CMS publishes its own percentile for this data using a single, national pool that also includes clinicians with a primary specialty of Optometry. We use CMS's percentile formula, but restrict the comparison group to clinicians with a primary specialty of Ophthalmology, so our number answers a narrower question: how does this clinician's procedure volume compare with other clinicians who billed Medicare for at least one cataract surgery and reported that as their primary specialty?