NPI Frequently Asked Questions

An NPI, or National Provider Identifier, is a unique 10-digit number assigned to health care providers in the United States by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through the NPPES system. It is required under HIPAA for use in all standard electronic health care transactions, from insurance claims to referral authorizations.

The number is permanent: it stays with a provider for life regardless of job changes, relocation, or changes in specialty. It carries no embedded information about the provider and does not encode a state, specialty, or license number.

Read the full guide to what an NPI is.

Yes. There is no fee to apply for an NPI, no annual fee to maintain it, and no renewal cost. The NPI is issued and maintained by CMS at no charge to the provider.

No. An NPI is assigned for life and does not expire. It stays with the provider regardless of changes in employer, practice location, or specialty. If circumstances change, the information within the NPI record should be updated, but the number itself never changes.

An NPI uniquely identifies a provider in all standard electronic health care transactions. It is a prerequisite for Medicare enrollment and for prescribing under Medicare Part D.

An NPI does not ensure a provider is licensed or credentialed, guarantee payment by any health plan, or enroll a provider in Medicare or Medicaid. Having an NPI and being enrolled in Medicare are two separate things requiring two separate processes.

A Type 1 NPI identifies an individual health care provider such as a physician, dentist, or nurse practitioner. An individual may hold only one Type 1 NPI for life.

A Type 2 NPI identifies a health care organization such as a hospital, group practice, clinic, or pharmacy. Organizations may hold multiple Type 2 NPIs, for example one per subpart or practice location.

A provider who has incorporated their practice as an LLC or professional corporation may need both: a Type 1 for themselves personally and a Type 2 for the business entity. A sole proprietor needs only a Type 1, even if they have an EIN.

Read the full Type 1 vs. Type 2 guide.

NPPES stands for National Plan and Provider Enumeration System. It is the CMS-maintained system that assigns NPIs, stores all NPI records, and operates the public NPI Registry. When a provider applies for an NPI, they submit the application through NPPES. All ongoing updates and deactivations are also managed through NPPES at nppes.cms.hhs.gov.

There are three ways to apply:

• Online (recommended): Create an I&A account at nppes.cms.hhs.gov, log in, and select Apply for an NPI. Takes about 20 minutes.
• Paper form CMS-10114: Download, complete, and mail the application to the NPI Enumerator in Baltimore, MD.
• Bulk EFI: An approved EFI Organization can submit applications for many providers at once via a structured CSV or XML file.

Read the step-by-step NPI application guide.

Online applications are typically processed quickly and an NPI is emailed to the contact person shortly after submission. Paper applications take longer because of mailing and manual processing time at the NPI Enumerator.

An individual provider may hold only one Type 1 NPI, ever. If you already have an NPI and apply again, NPPES will detect the duplicate and reject the second application.

However, if you also operate an incorporated business entity, that entity may obtain its own Type 2 NPI. In that scenario you would hold two NPIs in total: one Type 1 (yours personally) and one Type 2 (the corporation's), which is both allowed and often required for correct Medicare billing.

Residents and interns may apply for an NPI but may not need one if they do not submit claims or write orders that require an NPI. If you prescribe medications that will be billed under Medicare Part D, or if you order services such as imaging or DMEPOS for Medicare patients, you will need an NPI. Check with your training program or health plan for guidance specific to your situation.

Note: claims for items ordered by unlicensed interns and residents must list the teaching physician's NPI, not the trainee's. State-licensed residents who are permitted to order or certify under state law may obtain an NPI and be listed on claims directly.

Log into NPPES at nppes.cms.hhs.gov, select Manage NPIs, then select Manage on the relevant record, make your changes, and submit. Most updates can be completed online.

Three types of changes require the paper CMS-10114 form instead:

• Date of birth (requires a copy of your driver's license or birth certificate)
• Social Security Number
• NPI reactivation

Covered providers are required to report any change within 30 days of the effective date of that change. Note that updating NPPES does not automatically update your Medicare PECOS enrollment record; both systems must be updated separately.

Online: Log into NPPES, select Manage NPIs, select Manage on the relevant NPI, and use the Deactivate button. Follow the prompts to confirm the deactivation reason.

By mail: Download and complete the CMS-10114 form, checking box 3 (Deactivation), and mail it to:

CMS NPI Enumerator Services
Mail Stop DO-01-51
7500 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21244

Deactivations due to death must be signed by the Power of Attorney or Executor of the Will, and a copy of the death certificate or obituary must accompany the form.

All NPI reactivation requests must be submitted by mail using the paper CMS-10114 form. Online reactivation is not available. Mail the completed form with the reason for reactivation to the NPI Enumerator at the address above.

Select the FORGOT USER ID or PASSWORD? link on the NPPES login page to go to the I&A System. From there you can recover your credentials. If you enter an incorrect user ID and password combination three times, your account will be locked; contact the NPI Enumerator at 1-800-465-3203 to have it unlocked.

Other Provider Identifiers are optional numbers used to link your NPI record to insurers' existing records, such as Medicaid provider numbers or legacy Medicare PINs. Entering them is optional; you are not required to obtain them if you do not have them.

Important: do not enter a Medicare number, DEA number, Social Security Number, ITIN, or EIN in this section. Those belong in their designated fields or not in the form at all.

No. An NPI and Medicare enrollment are entirely separate. An NPI is a prerequisite for Medicare enrollment, but obtaining one does not create or update a Medicare enrollment record in PECOS. Enrollment must be completed separately through the PECOS system.

Learn about PECOS and Medicare enrollment.

Virtually all prescribers must have an individual (Type 1) NPI. CMS regulations require prescribers to disclose their NPI on pharmacy claims and Medicare Part D records. This applies even to prescribers who are not covered entities themselves, if they have an employment or contractual relationship with a hospital, clinic, or group practice.

The only narrow exception is a provider in sole practice who accepts only cash and has no Medicare patients using Part D coverage.

Read the full prescriber NPI requirements guide.

No. NPPES and PECOS are separate systems that do not sync. An address change in NPPES does not update your Medicare enrollment record in PECOS, and vice versa. If you move practices, you must update both systems separately to avoid claim rejections and misdirected Medicare communications.

NPI Profile sources its core provider data from the official NPPES public data release, which CMS makes available monthly under the Freedom of Information Act. We supplement it with additional CMS public datasets including Medicare PECOS enrollment records and CLIA laboratory crosswalks. Our database is refreshed weekly.

Learn more about how the NPPES public data works.

NPI Profile refreshes its database weekly. The information on any provider profile reflects the most recent weekly snapshot of the official NPPES data. The NPI Profile database was last updated on June 07, 2026.

If your information in NPPES has been recently updated, the corrected data will appear on NPI Profile automatically after the next weekly refresh cycle. If you would prefer not to appear in NPI Profile at all regardless of your NPPES record, you can use the NPI Profile Opt-Out tool to request removal from our search results and public display.

NPI Profile displays the address currently on file in the official NPPES database. The NPI Profile database was last updated on June 07, 2026. If your address has not been updated in NPPES, the old one will appear here and on every other site that publishes NPPES data.

The fix is to update your address directly in NPPES at nppes.cms.hhs.gov. Once CMS releases the update in their next data cycle, NPI Profile will reflect the correction automatically on our next weekly refresh. NPI Profile cannot modify NPPES data and does not accept manual correction requests.

If you prefer not to appear on NPI Profile while waiting for your NPPES record to be corrected, or if you simply do not wish to be listed on this site, use the NPI Profile Opt-Out tool. Opting out removes your profile from our search results and public display but does not affect your official NPPES record or your ability to bill Medicare.

Use the NPI Profile Opt-Out tool to request removal from NPI Profile search results and public display. Once removed, your profile will no longer appear in our lookup results or be directly accessible through our site.

Important: opting out of NPI Profile does not affect your official NPPES record, your NPI number, or your Medicare enrollment. Your data will continue to exist in the official government NPPES system. If you want to update or remove information from the underlying government record, contact the NPI Enumerator directly.

Contact the NPI Enumerator directly through any of the following channels:

• Online: nppes.cms.hhs.gov (fastest method)
• Phone: 1-800-465-3203 (TTY: 1-800-692-2326)
• Email: [email protected]
• Mail: CMS NPI Enumerator Services, Mail Stop DO-01-51, 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21244

• NPI Lookup - Free search by name, organization, specialty, or location
• Advanced Registry Lookup - Search using multiple combined parameters
• PECOS Lookup - Verify whether a provider is enrolled in Medicare PECOS
• NPI CLIA Lookup - NPI to CLIA laboratory crosswalk
• NPI Validation - Check digit calculation and format verification
• Taxonomy Codes - Browse providers by healthcare specialty code
• NPI Opt-Out - Request removal of your profile from NPI Profile

For questions or feedback about this website, visit our Contact Us page. For questions about updating or managing official NPI records, contact the NPI Enumerator directly as described above; NPI Profile cannot modify government data.