NPI Number Lookup

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is my NPI being shared by NPINumberLookup?

A: To simplify finding and providing NPI numbers. By HIPAA law, "Each covered health care provider [must] disclose its NPI, when requested, to any entity that needs the NPI to identify that health care provider in a standard transaction."

Q: Am I required to obtain and make available my NPI when requested?

A: Most likely, yes. NPIs and associated data are in the public domain

Q: Is it safe?

A: Yes, it's the same data provided by the US government, just made a bit easier to search.

Q: How often is the data updated?

A: Data is refreshed weekly, as provided by NPPES. Real-time data searches are available here.

Q: Why is this site not password protected?

A: NPIs and associated infomation are in the public domain.

Q: How do you ensure that NPIs in your database are valid?

A: CMS follows a version of the ISO standard Luhn algorithm. We verify all submissions at the time of entry using this algorithm.

Q: I've heard that Medicare is has an NPI Registry. If so, why are you doing this?

A: CMS has a publicly searchable NPI registry, but it is not as quick and easy as this registry. Also, lookups on this registry work well on most mobile devices.