Methodology
How NPIFolio handles provider data.
Source records are evidence. NPIFolio normalizes that evidence into a stable public provider view while preserving provenance and source freshness.
What NPIFolio is
NPIFolio is an independent information product for finding and understanding public healthcare provider identity data. It is not a government registry, medical-advice service, licensing authority, or quality-rating system.
NPI identity and provider type
A National Provider Identifier is a 10-digit identifier assigned through NPPES. Type 1 identifies an individual healthcare provider; Type 2 identifies an organization provider. An NPI does not, by itself, establish a license, specialty certification, employment relationship, or current practice status.
Taxonomies
NPIFolio displays taxonomy codes reported to NPPES and identifies the source-reported primary code. Taxonomies are classifications, not consumer quality measures. This release does not add consumer-friendly specialty labels because that licensing and mapping work has not yet been approved.
Locations
Public profiles show source-designated primary and additional practice locations. Mailing information is kept distinct and is not presented as a place where care is delivered.
Lifecycle and suppression
When the approved read model identifies a deactivated or removed NPI, NPIFolio suppresses stale descriptive fields and may show only a neutral lifecycle record. NPI deactivation does not necessarily mean a clinician is unlicensed, retired, disciplined, or no longer practicing.
Updates and freshness
The current product is based on the accepted August 2026 CMS NPPES national publication. Profiles show the source release and the latest source-supported update date. Future recurring releases will be imported through the same provenance, validation, and atomic-publication controls.
What we do not infer
NPIFolio does not infer quality, board certification, insurance acceptance, patient availability, ownership, employment, hospital affiliation, licensing status, or disciplinary findings from NPPES data.
Corrections
Source-record corrections generally begin with NPPES. NPIFolio can separately review a display or transformation issue. See the corrections process or review the source notes.