NPI lookup: search the NPI registry by name or number

Look up an NPI

The lookup needs JavaScript. Without it, search CMS's own NPI Registry.

Data comes from CMS's NPPES NPI Registry API, which CMS refreshes daily. We don't save what you search. Each result links to its official NPPES record.

What the NPI Registry shows

The NPI Registry is the public search of NPPES, the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, where providers apply for and update their National Provider Identifier. CMS publishes these fields under the Freedom of Information Act, updates the registry daily, and charges nothing to look (CMS, NPPES data dissemination). This tool shows the fields people look up most:

Field	What it means
Name and credential	A person's name and the credential they typed (LPC, LCSW, MD), or an organization's legal business name. The credential is the text the provider entered; it isn't a license check.
NPI	The 10-digit number. The tenth digit is a check digit, and the number says nothing about the provider (45 CFR 162.406), so a mistyped NPI usually fails before it's looked up.
Type	Type 1 is an individual; Type 2 is an organization, such as a PLLC, group or program. Which you need is in NPI Type 1 vs Type 2.
Primary taxonomy	The provider type the provider marked as primary, from the NUCC code set: 101YP2500X is Counselor, Professional, for example.
Practice location and phone	The practice location address and phone the provider entered. A state or city in your search matches this address, not the mailing address.
Enumerated and last updated	The day the NPI was issued and the day the record last changed. A last-updated date years old next to a recent move is a record that needs fixing.

What an NPI lookup can't tell you

• Whether the license is valid. A taxonomy code isn't a license and doesn't prove one. Check the license with the state board that issued it: Texas counselors, social workers and marriage and family therapists on the Behavioral Health Executive Council's license search, LCDCs on HHSC's (see LCDC license search).
• Whether the provider is in network or enrolled with Medicare or Medicaid. Those are separate enrollments with each plan. Changing an NPPES record doesn't change a Medicare enrollment, and a new NPI isn't in any network until the plan credentials it; how to get credentialed with insurance walks through that part.
• Whether every provider has an NPI. HIPAA requires one of every health care provider that sends standard electronic transactions, such as claims; others may get one if they apply (45 CFR 162.410). A cash-only provider may not have one.

Search tips

• Start narrow, then widen. A last name and state is usually enough for a person. No match? Drop the city, then the state, or add a * after the first letters (the registry needs at least two letters before it).
• Organizations go by their legal name, the one on the IRS letter. A clinic's sign out front may say something else.
• Twenty results at a time, up to 200. Too many? Add a first name or a city.
• The registry lists active NPIs. A provider who retired or a company that closed may not appear at all.

Find your own NPI number

Search your own name above, or log in to NPPES with your Identity & Access (I&A) account to see your record. Lost the login, or can't find yourself? The NPI Enumerator handles lost NPIs, locked accounts and application status at 1-800-465-3203 (TTY 1-800-692-2326) (CMS, how to apply). Don't have an NPI yet? How to get an NPI number walks through the NPPES application, and NPI Type 1 vs Type 2 says which kind you need.

If your record is wrong

Fix it in NPPES yourself. Federal rules require a provider to report changes to its NPPES information within 30 days (45 CFR 162.410(a)(4)), and there's no way to hide an active NPI's public record (NPPES privacy information). Plans compare what they credentialed you with against what's in the registry and on your CAQH profile, so a stale address or the wrong primary taxonomy shows up as denied claims and returned mail. After you update NPPES, tell your plans and Medicare too.

Pricing a whole practice? Try the credentialing cost calculator, or book a free 30-minute call.

Questions

How do I look up an NPI number?

Type the 10-digit NPI above, or switch to a person's or organization's name and pick a state. The results come from CMS's NPI Registry, the official public search of NPPES, and each one links to its record there.

How do I do an NPI lookup by name?

Choose "Person's name", type the last name (and the first name if you know it) and pick the state where they practice. For an organization, choose "Organization" and type its legal business name. Add a * after at least two letters if you're not sure of the spelling.

How do I find my NPI number?

Search your own name and state above, or log in to NPPES with your I&A account. If you can't get in or can't find your NPI, call the NPI Enumerator at 1-800-465-3203.

Is NPI lookup free?

Yes. CMS charges nothing to search the NPI Registry, and this tool is free too, with no sign-up.

What's the difference between NPPES and the NPI Registry?

NPPES is the CMS system where providers apply for an NPI and keep their information current. The NPI Registry is the public search of that information, updated daily.

Why can't I find a provider in the NPI Registry?

The name may be spelled or ordered differently, the state you picked may be their mailing state rather than their practice location, the NPI may no longer be active, or the provider may not have one: only providers who send standard electronic transactions such as claims are required to.

How do I verify an NPI?

Check that the number is in the registry, is active and belongs to the person or organization you expect, at the address you expect. Then verify the license separately with the state board, because the registry's credential and taxonomy are what the provider typed, not a license check.

What is the NPPES phone number?

The NPI Enumerator, which answers NPPES questions for CMS, is at 1-800-465-3203, TTY 1-800-692-2326. Medicare enrollment questions go to your Medicare contractor instead.

Can a provider remove their information from the NPI Registry?

No. CMS says there's no way to opt out of or suppress the public record of an active NPI. What a provider can do is keep it accurate in NPPES.

Sources

• CMS, NPPES NPI Registry and the NPI Registry API (version 2.1)
• CMS, NPPES data dissemination; NPI privacy information
• CMS, how to apply for an NPI (the NPI Enumerator)
• eCFR, 45 CFR 162.410; Cornell LII, 45 CFR 162.406