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Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD

(Stephen Nichols)

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Specializes in: Emergency Medicine

University of Toledo College of Medicine (2014)

Professional interests include: tube thoracostomy (chest tube insertion), thoracostomy, chest pain, and more.

9000 Franklin Square Drive
Baltimore, MD 21237

(443) 777-7000

Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD is an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD specializing in emergency medicine. He graduated from University of Toledo College of Medicine in 2014 and has 12 years of experience. Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD is affiliated with MedStar Health.

Office Locations

9000 Franklin Square Drive
Baltimore, MD 21237

(443) 777-7000

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Some issues Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD can help you with:

Blood Transfusion

Blood transfusions typically treat those who experience a substantial loss of blood from an injury or surgical procedure, or those who suffer from conditions that alter the blood supply or blood components. For example, a blood transfusion may contribute additional red blood cells to someone with anemia, a condition where the body does not produce enough red blood cells. Other conditions may include:

Hemophilia (blood clotting disorder)
Leukemia
Liver disease
Sickle cell disease (misshapen red blood cells)
Thrombocytopenia (lack of platelets)

When a patient has sufficient blood volume and lacks one or more components, a complete blood count (CBC) test can help determine if a patient requires a transfusion by measuring four blood components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin. If any of the patient's component counts is significantly below a standard range, the patient will likely need a blood transfusion. The complete blood count test uses a needle to extract a small amount of blood for testing.

Blood transfusion recipients should be tested for their blood type, which is one of four different types: type A, B, AB, or O. Patients with A, B, and O blood can only receive a blood donation matching their blood type or of O blood, which is known as the universal donor. Those with AB blood are considered "universal recipients"; they may receive A, B, AB, or O blood. Further complicating blood types is the presence or absence of the RhD antigen, adding a positive or negative modifier that should also be considered. Incompatible blood donations may cause transfusion sickness, such as a hemolytic reaction, where the body fights the donated red blood cells.

In certain emergency or trauma situations, medical teams often do not perform a complete blood count (CBC) test or blood type test. In those cases, patients are often given O negative blood, which is universally accepted. Some patients have their blood type on a medical card or bracelet, allowing emergency medical teams to issue compatible blood without testing.

Transfusions are performed by inserting a needle attached to an intravenous line (IV) into a vein in the body. This IV line is attached to a bag of blood that steadily dispenses blood into the patient's bloodstream. The type, volume, and components of donated blood depend on the patient's condition and needs. After the transfusion is complete, patients are generally permitted to resume normal activity, unless prohibited by a condition or injury. Some patients may experience bruising or soreness around the area that the needle was inserted.

At times, a second complete blood count test is performed to determine if the transfusion has brought patients' component counts to normal levels. Some patients may require multiple blood transfusions to reach a healthy blood volume and blood component count.

Once patients' blood volumes and components reach sufficient levels, they will generally begin to feel better. Patients of all ages, from newborn infants to elderly adults, can receive a blood transfusion.

Headache

Headaches are dull or sharp pains that occur in regions of the head and face. Headaches occur in many different forms and vary in location, severity, and duration. They are not necessarily a sign of an underlying illness and often resolve on their own. However, headaches can present significant day-to-day discomfort. The most common forms of headaches include:

Migraines: one of the most prevalent types of headache, migraines typically last from two hours to three days, causing a throbbing pain on one side of the head. Nausea, sensitivity to bright lights, fatigue, and blurred vision all may accompany migraines. While migraines have no known cure, medications and lifestyle modifications may ease symptoms. Avoiding behaviors that may trigger migraines such as lack of sleep or loud, repetitive noises can improve headaches.
Tension headaches: also known as stress headaches, these headaches are characterized by pain in the upper top part of the head and behind the eyes. Tension headaches are common and have no exact cause; however, certain practices may increase the likelihood of developing them. For example, wearing one's hair up in a tight hairstyle or wearing a restrictive hat can put pressure on the scalp, leading to a tension headache. Other causes of tension headaches may include alcohol or nicotine use, caffeine, teeth grinding, stress, overexertion, and eye strain. Some people find posture improvement, alternating sleeping positions, and neck exercise can alleviate tension headaches. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motren) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) may also reduce tension-headache pain.
Sinus headaches: this type of headache causes pain in the sinuses, but may progress to pain and pressure in the eyes, forehead, and cheeks. These headaches are often accompanied by nasal congestion, fatigue, and ache in the upper teeth and may or may not be caused by sinus infections or sinusitis (sinus inflammation). Some sinus headaches are allergic headaches, which arise from allergic triggers such as seasonal allergies (pollen allergies) or hay fever, causing sinus pressure and facial pain. Other symptoms of allergic headaches include nasal congestion, irritated or watery eyes, runny nose, and sneezing. Allergic headaches may be treated with antihistamine medications such as cetirizine (Zyrtec). Allergic headaches are common during pollen season, which is usually around springtime.
Cluster headaches: these headaches occur suddenly and cause stabbing, sharp pain from one eye down to the one side of the neck. They are often referred to as the most aggravating and painful type of headaches. Other symptoms of cluster headaches include nasal congestion, droopy eyelid, and enlarged pupil on one side of the face. In the past, it was widely believed that cluster headaches were caused by a bevy or "cluster" of multiple types of headaches, such as a combination of an allergic headache and a tension headache. Medical experts now recognize that cluster headaches are a separate and unique form of headache. Cluster headaches last for around twenty minutes to two hours. They may recur throughout the period of a day or several weeks, but usually dissipate within a month. Treatment for cluster headaches includes over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motren) and naproxen sodium (Aleve). Prescription Prednisone can help with swelling and Verapamil may reduce pain by relaxing the blood vessels.

Living with headaches is challenging; headaches can prevent people from fully enjoying life. Medical treatment and care in avoiding certain triggers can help those with headaches begin to feel normal once again.

Tracheostomy

Tracheostomy or tracheotomy is a surgical procedure to open an airway in a blocked trachea, or windpipe. A small hole is created in the neck, and a tube is often inserted into the hole to provide support and drainage. The patient can breathe through the hole that is created.

Tracheostomy is performed for a variety of reasons when a bypass to the normal airway is needed. A patient may have an object lodged in their throat or have an injury that damaged their windpipe. They may have cancer or a swelling in their throat that stops air from moving freely. Sometimes tracheostomy is performed to make breathing easier when patients are paralyzed or have trouble coming off a ventilator.

A tracheostomy can be temporary or permanent. A temporary tracheostomy tends to heal over easily when the tube is removed, leaving a small scar. A permanent tracheostomy can make speech difficult at first. It takes time to learn how to use the throat and air in a new way.

Tracheostomy is a fairly simple procedure, but it can make all the difference in a life or death situation.

Noteworthy Medicare Patient Procedures Performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2024

Click on any procedure below to see further details on volume and pricing among Medicare patients.

Top 10%

By Volume:

emergency room care

In 2024, Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD performed more emergency room (ER) care procedures for Medicare patients than 90% of providers in related specialties within Maryland.

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2016 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	11
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2017 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2017 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	225

2017 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	114
Female	115

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	174
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	76
From 75 to 84	49
85 and over	28
Less than 65	76

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2017

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	55
Stroke	11
Ischemic Heart Disease	54
Depression	41
Chronic Kidney Disease	52
Asthma	14
Osteoperosis	6
Atrial Fibrilation	15
Heart Failure	46
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	42
Diabetes	46
Dementia	21
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2018 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2018 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	406

2018 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	193
Female	261

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	339
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	134
From 75 to 84	108
85 and over	59
Less than 65	153

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2018

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	8
Ischemic Heart Disease	58
Depression	43
Chronic Kidney Disease	55
Asthma	13
Osteoperosis	6
Atrial Fibrilation	21
Heart Failure	47
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	46
Diabetes	48
Dementia	22
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2019 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2019 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	622

2019 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	299
Female	409

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	588
Black	94
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	12
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	224
From 75 to 84	198
85 and over	117
Less than 65	169

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2019

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	69
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	50
Depression	38
Chronic Kidney Disease	51
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	10
Atrial Fibrilation	22
Heart Failure	35
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	35
Diabetes	42
Dementia	25
Cancer	13

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2020 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2020 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	526

2020 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	245
Female	318

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	466
Black	77
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	188
From 75 to 84	175
85 and over	97
Less than 65	103

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2020

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	72
Stroke	10
Ischemic Heart Disease	47
Depression	39
Chronic Kidney Disease	47
Asthma	14
Osteoperosis	8
Atrial Fibrilation	21
Heart Failure	34
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	28
Diabetes	43
Dementia	25
Cancer	17

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2021 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2021 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	543

2021 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	254
Female	357

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	526
Black	53
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	16
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	213
From 75 to 84	180
85 and over	127
Less than 65	91

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2021

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	13
Ischemic Heart Disease	52
Depression	40
Chronic Kidney Disease	47
Asthma	11
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	22
Heart Failure	36
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	27
Diabetes	39
Dementia	25
Cancer	14

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2022 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2022 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	435

2022 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	195
Female	279

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	386
Black	63
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	164
From 75 to 84	138
85 and over	68
Less than 65	104

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2022

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	18
Ischemic Heart Disease	43
Depression	40
Chronic Kidney Disease	31
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	27
Heart Failure	30
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	31
Diabetes	38
Dementia	19
Cancer	17

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2023 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2023 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	419

2023 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	203
Female	273

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	394
Black	62
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	160
From 75 to 84	158
85 and over	64
Less than 65	94

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2023

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	18
Ischemic Heart Disease	40
Depression	41
Chronic Kidney Disease	36
Asthma	17
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	30
Heart Failure	28
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	32
Diabetes	45
Dementia	14
Cancer	22

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2024 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD during 2024 were emergency care.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

emergency care	515

2024 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	250
Female	298

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	453
Black	65
Hispanic	12
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	167
From 75 to 84	203
85 and over	98
Less than 65	80

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD in 2024

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	19
Ischemic Heart Disease	40
Depression	39
Chronic Kidney Disease	37
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	31
Heart Failure	34
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	32
Diabetes	45
Dementia	20
Cancer	20

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2016 - 2024

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated as an emergency medicine doctor in Baltimore, MD were emergency care.

emergency care	461

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2016 - 2024

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD.

**Gender**
Male	194
Female	256

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	46
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	370
Hispanic	1
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Other	3

**Age**
75 to 84	134
85 and over	73
Less than 65	96
65 to 74	147

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD From 2016 - 2024

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, ischemic heart disease and chronic kidney disease.

Hypertension	66
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	12
Ischemic Heart Disease	42
Depression	35
Chronic Kidney Disease	39
Asthma	12
Osteoporosis	8
Heart Failure	32
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	30
Diabetes	38
Atrial Fibrillation	21
Cancer	13
Dementia	19

Education & Training

Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD graduated from University of Toledo College of Medicine in 2014. He completed residency at Erlanger Health System. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine and has a state license in Tennessee.

Medical School: University of Toledo College of Medicine (2014)

Residency: Erlanger Health System (2017)

Board Certification: American Board of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine

Licensed In: Tennessee

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Stephen John Nichols, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.	$17 ELIQUIS $17

**Types of Payments**
Food and Beverage	$17

Biography

Dr. Stephen Nichols' specialty is emergency medicine. Dr. Nichols's education and training includes medical school at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and residency at Erlanger Health System. Areas of expertise for Dr. Nichols include forearm fracture, endotracheal intubation, and tube thoracostomy (chest tube insertion). He is affiliated with MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center.