NPI number lookup
Search the official NPPES registry by NPI number or provider name.
Official CMS NPPES data, proxied through our server. Searches are not stored. Public-registry data only — verify directly with the provider before relying on it for billing, credentialing or patient care.
How to look up an NPI number
- Choose how to search. Enter a 10-digit NPI for an exact match, or a name with optional city/state.
- Search the registry. We query the official NPPES registry in real time.
- Review providers. See each provider’s type, specialty, address and status.
What an NPI is — and the two types
The National Provider Identifier is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies a healthcare provider in the
United States, mandated by HIPAA and used on every insurance claim, prescription and referral. It comes in two
flavours: Type 1 for individual providers (a specific doctor, nurse or therapist) and
Type 2 for organisations (a hospital, group practice or pharmacy) — a clinician working at a
group typically appears in both, once as themselves and once under the organisation. The last digit is a Luhn
check digit computed after prepending the prefix 80840, so a mistyped NPI usually fails validation
rather than silently matching the wrong provider.
What the public registry shows
NPIs live in NPPES, the CMS registry that is public by law, so a lookup returns the provider's legal name, their classified taxonomy (the standardised specialty code — e.g. "Internal Medicine" or "Pharmacy"), the registered practice address, and whether the record is active or deactivated. That makes it the quickest way to confirm a billing NPI matches the provider you expect, to support credentialing and claims work, or to verify a referral. Because this tool queries CMS NPPES directly (proxied through our server, not stored), the results reflect the registry as it stands right now.
What it is not
An active NPI confirms a provider is registered, not that they are currently licensed or in good standing — licensure and disciplinary status live with each state medical board, and the NPPES address can lag a provider's actual location. Treat an NPI lookup as the first, authoritative step in due diligence, not the whole of it. For US business identifiers instead, see the EIN lookup.
Frequently asked questions
- The National Provider Identifier is a unique 10-digit number issued to US healthcare providers and organizations by CMS. It is required on claims and is part of the public NPPES registry.
- Directly from the official NPPES registry maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It is public data, returned in real time.
- Yes. Search by an exact 10-digit NPI, or by provider/organization name with optional city and state to narrow results.
- The taxonomy is the provider’s classified specialty (for example, Internal Medicine or Pharmacy). It comes from the standard healthcare provider taxonomy code set.
- No. Your query is proxied to the NPPES API through our server and the results are returned to you. Nothing is saved.