What an NPI is
The National Clinician Identifier is a 10-digit number assigned by the federal government to every clinician and organization that bills for health care. It never changes, it follows the clinician across states and employers, and the registry behind it is public. Because it is unique, it is the cleanest way to be sure the Dr. Smith you are reading about is the Dr. Smith you are seeing.
How to find it
- Go to the NPPES NPI Registry at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov.
- Enter the first and last name and, if you can, the state. No account needed.
- Match the record by specialty and city. Common names return several people.
The record shows the NPI, the credential (MD, DO, NP, PA), the practice address and phone, the specialty taxonomy, and the state license numbers on file. Clinicians update it themselves, so an old address is common; a missing person is not.
What the NPI unlocks
- State license lookup: the license number in the NPI record goes straight into your state medical board's search.
- CMS Open Payments: openpaymentsdata.cms.gov lists every reportable payment from drug and device companies to that clinician, by year and company.
- Medicare data: what a clinician bills and prescribes under Medicare Part B and D is public and searchable by NPI.
- Exclusion checks: the OIG exclusion list tells you whether a clinician is barred from federal programs.
How we use it
When a clinician applies to be listed, we verify the NPI live against the registry: the name must match, the record must be active, and the specialty must be one we list. Anyone on our private disallowed list, or whose NPI was previously removed at the clinician's request, is blocked at this step. Every profile's Open Payments summary is pulled by NPI, so you never have to do the matching yourself.
Common questions
Is it legal to look up a doctor's NPI?
Yes. The registry is public by law. It exists so that patients, payers, and other clinicians can identify clinicians unambiguously.
Does a doctor outside the US have an NPI?
No. NPIs are US only. For clinicians abroad we verify the national or provincial license instead.
What if the NPI record shows a different address?
Clinicians move and forget to update. Use the address on their practice website or your insurer's directory for logistics; use the NPI record for identity.
