What the NPPES NPI Registry is
The National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) is run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It issues the National Provider Identifier (NPI), a unique 10-digit number that health care providers use for billing and other administrative purposes. CMS publishes the registry for public use, and anyone can look up a provider at the official NPI Registry.
Which providers we include
We include individual providers whose registry record lists a mental health taxonomy, such as psychologist, professional counselor, mental health counselor, clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist and addiction counselor. Deactivated NPIs are not shown.
How often listings are updated
We refresh registry listings every month from the latest public registry data. Each listing shows the month of the last update. If a provider changes their record in NPPES, the change appears on NearbyTherapy after the next refresh.
What an unclaimed listing shows
- Name and credential
- Provider type from the registry taxonomy
- Practice address, city, state and ZIP
- Practice phone
- NPI
- License number and state, when present in the registry
- The Unclaimed badge and the date of the last registry update
What a claimed profile adds
When a therapist claims a profile, they add details the registry does not hold: a photo they upload, a short statement, specialties, approaches, accepted insurance, fees and session formats. Claimed profiles show a License verified badge after we check the license number and state against the registry and the public lookup of the state licensing board.
What we never show or store
- Mailing addresses from the registry
- Photos of unclaimed providers
- Reviews or ratings
- Session notes or clinical records
- Specialties, insurance or fees that the provider has not entered
Because the registry does not say which concerns a provider works with, concern, insurance and price filters match claimed profiles only. Registry listings appear separately under More licensed providers in each city.
If something is wrong
Registry data is only as current as the provider's NPPES record. Providers can update their record with NPPES, and anyone listed can ask us for a correction or removal on the corrections page. We handle requests within 2 business days, and a removed listing stays hidden after future refreshes.