> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mso.getlemma.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Get NPIs (Type 1 and Type 2)
> NPPES walkthrough for individual and organizational NPIs, taxonomy selection, subparts, and keeping NPPES current.
The **National Provider Identifier** is a 10-digit identifier for healthcare providers in HIPAA standard transactions. It is free, issued by CMS through **NPPES**, and never expires. You need a **Type 1** for each clinician and a **Type 2** for each professional entity.
## Prerequisites
* **Type 2:** the PC formed, with its EIN and the CP 575 letter in hand
* **Type 1:** the clinician's SSN, license, and credentials
* A CMS Identity & Access Management (I\&A) account
## Type 1, individual
**Check whether the clinician already has one first.** Type 1 NPIs follow the person for life, across every employer. A clinician who applies for a second creates a duplicate that causes claim rejections for years and is painful to deactivate. Search the [NPI Registry](https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/) by name before applying.
Most clinicians obtained theirs in training. If they genuinely don't have one:
At [nppes.cms.hhs.gov](https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/), which authenticates through CMS I\&A.
Legal name as it appears on the license, SSN, date of birth, license number and state, and practice location.
Their specialty. See below.
Typically days to two weeks.
## Type 2, organizational
The application requires it. You cannot do this before formation completes.
The **exact legal name from the CP 575**, EIN, practice location address, mailing address, and taxonomy.
**The legal name is not cosmetic.** Payers match enrollment against IRS records. If the CP 575 says "PRIYA SHAH MD PC" and NPPES says "Meridian Dermatology," you will spend months resolving mismatches across every payer. Use the IRS name in the legal name field and put the brand in "other name."
A person with legal authority to bind the entity. Given officer licensure rules in many states, this is usually the clinician-owner. Their credentials are required for future changes, so record who it is.
The practice's specialty, or `193200000X` (Multi-Specialty Group) where appropriate.
Typically a few days to two weeks.
## Taxonomy selection
A **taxonomy code** is a 10-character code identifying provider type, classification, and specialization, from the code set maintained by the National Uniform Claim Committee.1
Two rules that prevent a great deal of pain:
1. **The taxonomy on your claims must match the taxonomy you enrolled with.** Mismatches produce denials that look mysterious because nothing clinical is wrong.
2. **Group and individual taxonomies are different.** The Type 2 carries a group taxonomy; each Type 1 carries the clinician's own.
See [Provider taxonomy codes](/reference/edi/taxonomy-codes) for the working list.
## Subparts
A Type 2 NPI can have **subparts**, additional organizational NPIs for distinct components with different locations or taxonomies.
Most single-location practices do not need one. Consider them when a payer requires location-level identification, or when one legal entity operates genuinely distinct service lines with different taxonomies.
**Don't create subparts speculatively.** Each is another NPI to enroll with every payer, another set of EDI/ERA/EFT enrollments, and another thing to keep current. Create one when a payer requires it.
## Keeping NPPES current
NPPES data feeds payer directories and provider lookups. Stale data causes real problems — claims rejections, patients unable to find you, and payer directory accuracy findings.
Update within 30 days of any change to:
* Practice location or mailing address
* Phone or fax
* Authorized official
* Taxonomy
* Legal name (e.g., after an entity name change)
* License information
Add an annual NPPES review to the compliance calendar.
## Verify it worked
* [ ] Clinician's existing Type 1 confirmed via the NPI Registry — no duplicate created
* [ ] Type 2 issued to the PC
* [ ] NPPES legal name matches the CP 575 **exactly**
* [ ] Taxonomies selected for both, and recorded
* [ ] Authorized official recorded, with their I\&A credentials retained by the organization
* [ ] Both NPIs verifiable in the public NPI Registry
* [ ] Annual NPPES review calendared
## Common failure modes
| Failure | Consequence |
| -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Duplicate Type 1 created for an existing clinician | Years of intermittent claim rejections |
| Legal name in NPPES differs from the CP 575 | Payer enrollment rejections across the board |
| Wrong taxonomy | Denials that look clinical but aren't |
| Authorized official is someone who has left | Cannot update the record |
| Address never updated after a move | Payer directory errors; missed correspondence |
| Speculative subparts | Multiplied enrollment work for no benefit |
## Sources
1. National Uniform Claim Committee, [Health Care Provider Taxonomy](https://www.nucc.org/index.php/code-sets-mainmenu-41/provider-taxonomy-mainmenu-40). CMS, [NPI Standard](https://www.cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/administrative-simplification/national-provider-identifier-standard).
## Related topics
- [Step 6: NPIs, taxonomy, and CAQH](/start/zero-to-paid/get-npis-and-caqh.md)
- [Set up and maintain CAQH profiles](/guides/enrollment/set-up-caqh.md)
- [Enroll and contract with commercial payers](/guides/enrollment/enroll-with-commercial-payers.md)
- [Respond to NPI identity theft](/guides/compliance/respond-to-npi-identity-theft.md)
- [Provider identity theft and NPI misuse](/concepts/compliance/provider-identity-theft.md)
- [Provider taxonomy codes](/reference/edi/taxonomy-codes.md)
- [Payer enrollment & submission links](/reference/payers/enrollment-links.md)