Billing staff usually update NPI information in NPPES for claims. There's a second reason to do it promptly: the federal provider record is public, refreshed daily and free to download, so an old address there doesn't stay there. This guide walks through the update itself, the Type 1 vs Type 2 question for practices, taxonomy codes, and a yearly check that keeps provider data clean across directories.
It's administrative guidance, not billing or legal advice. Demand shows how often practices hit this task: "update npi information" gets about 880 searches a month and "npi registry update" 110 (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026).
What NPPES is and who can update it
NPPES (National Plan and Provider Enumeration System) is the CMS system that issues National Provider Identifiers and holds the data behind them. CMS describes the NPI as "a unique identification number for covered health care providers," used in HIPAA administrative and financial transactions (CMS NPI Standard (opens in a new tab)).
The 30-day rule. A covered health care provider must "communicate to the NPS any changes in its required data elements in the NPS within 30 days of the change" (45 CFR 162.410(a)(4) (opens in a new tab)). NPPES also asks you to certify that you'll keep it updated "within 30 days of the effective date of the change."
Who can sign in. NPPES says "you need an Identity & Access Management System (I&A) account to log into NPPES" (NPPES (opens in a new tab)). It adds that Type 2 NPI user IDs "can no longer be used to access NPPES"; access is now determined through I&A. When you start work on a record, NPPES asks whether you are the provider, an employee of the provider, or "a surrogate working on behalf of the Provider," and surrogates pick their surrogate organization.
Other routes. CMS says the web route through NPPES gives "the most efficient application processing," and also allows an Electronic File Interchange organization (with your permission) or the paper form CMS-10114 mailed to the NPI Enumerator (CMS How to Apply (opens in a new tab)).
Type 1 vs Type 2 NPIs for practices
The NPI Registry (opens in a new tab) labels records by enumeration type: NPI-1 for individuals and NPI-2 for organizations.
| Item | Type 1 (individual) | Type 2 (organization) |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Each clinician | The practice entity, such as a group or clinic |
| How many | NPPES says "Individual Providers are allowed only one NPI" | One for the organization, plus optional NPIs for subparts that would qualify as providers on their own (45 CFR 162.410(a)(1)) |
| Public details | Name, credentials, practice location, phone, taxonomy | Organization name, practice location, phone, taxonomy, authorized official |
| Who updates | The clinician or a surrogate | An authorized person or surrogate |
Which records apply to your practice depends on how you bill; your billing team will know. If you're setting up a new entity, starting a medical practice covers where NPIs fit in the sequence.
Step by step: updating practice location and phone
- Confirm access in I&A. Make sure the person doing the update has an I&A account with access to each record, as the provider, an employee or a surrogate.
- Sign in to NPPES at nppes.cms.hhs.gov with the I&A credentials.
- Open the NPI record you're changing. Do the Type 2 record first, then each Type 1 record that lists the old location.
- Add the new practice location with the full street address, suite number and phone. NPPES says a practice location "can not be a P.O. Box."
- Set the new location as primary, then delete the old one. NPPES warns that deleting a primary location makes "the next Practice Location listed" primary automatically, so review which one ends up first.
- Check the mailing address separately; it's a different field from the practice location.
- Review the taxonomy while you're there (next section).
- Certify and submit. NPPES's confirmation message says changes "may be effective within the next 24 hours" if there are no errors or extra verifications; otherwise "processing may take up to 30 days."
- Check the public registry a day or two later. CMS says the NPI Registry "is updated daily."
Illustrative example: a fictional four-physician practice moves from Suite 100 to a new building across town on March 1. It has one Type 2 NPI and four Type 1 NPIs that list the old address. That's five records to update by March 31, plus the website, Google, Apple, Bing and each directory profile.
Common mistakes
- Updating the organization's record but not each clinician's.
- Leaving the old location as primary after adding the new one.
- Entering a P.O. box or billing address as the practice location.
- Letting a departed staff member's surrogate access be the only way into a record.
- Updating NPPES and assuming every directory updates itself.
Taxonomy codes and specialties
Every NPI record carries one or more taxonomy codes describing the provider's type and specialty, with one marked primary. The codes come from the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set, which the National Uniform Claim Committee describes as "an external, nonmedical data code set designed for use in an electronic environment," used in HIPAA transactions and the NPI application (NUCC (opens in a new tab)).
Why it matters beyond billing: the taxonomy is the public label for what a clinician does. A dermatologist still listed with a general internal medicine taxonomy from residency, or a nurse practitioner whose specialty changed, shows the old label in the public record.
Check each clinician's primary taxonomy against what they actually practice, and any state license numbers attached to it. NPPES warns that deleting the primary taxonomy makes "the next Taxonomy listed" primary, so set the right one before you remove anything.
How NPI data reaches public directories
CMS publishes NPPES data that is disclosable under the Freedom of Information Act in two forms: the NPI Registry, "a query-only database which is updated daily," and downloadable files, including a full monthly file and weekly updates, with "no charge to download the data" (CMS data dissemination (opens in a new tab)).
Three CMS statements matter here:
- There is "no way to 'opt out' or 'suppress' the NPPES record data" for providers with active NPIs.
- If the files or registry show "information that is incorrect, health care providers should correct that information."
- Anyone can download the files.
So stale NPPES data is public and freely reusable. Directories don't always say where their provider data comes from, and we don't name any as NPPES users unless they say so. Still, when a directory shows an address you left years ago, the NPI record is one of the first places to check. Our guides to your Healthgrades profile and the WebMD directory cover correcting those profiles directly; WebMD asks for each doctor's NPI with every correction request.
A yearly provider-data check
Once a year, and after any move, new hire or departure, run this check for every clinician:
- Search each NPI in the NPI Registry; confirm name, credentials, practice location, phone and primary taxonomy.
- Confirm the organization (Type 2) record's location, phone and authorized official.
- Remove departed clinicians from your website; confirm their NPPES records no longer list your location.
- Compare against your Google listing, Apple Maps and Bing.
- Check WebMD, Healthgrades and your specialty directories for each provider.
- Confirm I&A access still works and that more than one current staff member can reach every record.
- Log what you changed and when.
Medfy doesn't edit NPPES records. But listing accuracy affects the Google listing score in Medfy's free marketing audit, which reads public information only. For the full set of listings to keep aligned, see the online listings guide.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an NPPES update take?
NPPES's own confirmation message says that if a submission has no errors and needs no extra verification, changes may take effect within the next 24 hours; if more verification is needed, processing may take up to 30 days. CMS says the public NPI Registry is updated daily, so check the registry a day or two after your change goes through.
Do I need to update my NPI when the practice address changes?
Yes. Federal rules require covered health care providers to report changes to their required NPPES data within 30 days of the change (45 CFR 162.410), and NPPES asks you to certify the same commitment. A group practice that moves should update its organization (Type 2) record and each clinician's individual (Type 1) record that lists the old practice location.
Who can make NPPES changes for a group practice?
NPPES access runs through the CMS Identity & Access Management System (I&A), and old Type 2 NPI user IDs no longer work. Providers can manage their own records, and employees or outside organizations can work on a record as a surrogate once that access is set up in I&A. In many practices, billing or credentialing staff handle it.