{
  "schema_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "answer_key": "what-is-an-npi",
  "artifact_slug": "what-is-an-npi",
  "query": "what is an npi number",
  "citation_slots": 2,
  "canonical_path": "/learn/what-is-an-npi",
  "title": "What is an NPI number?",
  "description": "A plain-language definition of the National Provider Identifier.",
  "answer_capsule": "An NPI number is a ten-digit National Provider Identifier assigned through CMS's NPPES system to enumerated health care providers. Individuals receive Type 1 NPIs and organizations receive Type 2 NPIs. The identifier remains attached to the NPPES record, but it does not establish licensure, Medicare participation, credentials, or service quality.",
  "scope": "This answer is limited to NPI enumeration and public NPPES data. It does not merge a source record with unrelated people or organizations on name alone.",
  "methodology_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "reproducibility_note": "Re-derive this answer from the cited government file; no Fonteum account is required.",
  "limitations": [
    "Enumeration is not a credential or quality signal."
  ],
  "related_links": [
    {
      "label": "NPI meaning",
      "href": "/learn/npi-meaning"
    }
  ],
  "data_as_of": "2026-07-20",
  "source_artifacts": [
    {
      "source_key": "cms-npi",
      "kind": "upstream",
      "file_name": "NPPES NPI Registry",
      "file_url": "https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/",
      "publisher": "Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)",
      "published_date": null,
      "retrieved_date": null,
      "data_as_of": "2026-07-20",
      "sha256": null
    }
  ],
  "published_date": "2026-07-20",
  "modified_date": "2026-07-20",
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_key": "cms-npi",
      "name": "NPPES NPI Registry",
      "publisher": "Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)",
      "official_url": "https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/",
      "source_date_kind": "accessed",
      "source_date": "2026-07-20",
      "limitation": "NPPES is provider-reported enumeration data. An NPI does not establish licensure, Medicare enrollment, identity beyond the published record, or quality."
    }
  ],
  "facts": [
    {
      "fact_key": "format",
      "label": "NPI format",
      "value": "Ten numeric digits",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "cms-npi",
        "name": "NPPES NPI Registry",
        "publisher": "Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)",
        "official_url": "https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-20",
        "limitation": "NPPES is provider-reported enumeration data. An NPI does not establish licensure, Medicare enrollment, identity beyond the published record, or quality."
      }
    },
    {
      "fact_key": "types",
      "label": "NPI entity types",
      "value": "Type 1 individual and Type 2 organization",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "cms-npi",
        "name": "NPPES NPI Registry",
        "publisher": "Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)",
        "official_url": "https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-20",
        "limitation": "NPPES is provider-reported enumeration data. An NPI does not establish licensure, Medicare enrollment, identity beyond the published record, or quality."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Can an organization have an NPI?",
      "answer": "Yes. Eligible organizations are enumerated with a Type 2 NPI; individual providers use Type 1."
    }
  ]
}