01 · FORMAT SPEC
Three citation formats. One upstream source of truth.
Supported record pages can expose APA, Vancouver, and JSON-LD citation examples. Use the upstream URL only when the record supplies it, and state missing dates or limitations explicitly.
APA FORMAT
[Provider Last Name], [First Initial]. (Year). [License type]. Fonteum. https://fonteum.com/providers/[NPI]
VANCOUVER FORMAT
[Number]. [Provider Name]. Federal registry record. [Federal source name]. Available from: https://fonteum.com/providers/[NPI]
JSON-LD (Schema.org)
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Person",
"identifier": {
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "NPI",
"value": "[NPI]"
},
"url": "https://fonteum.com/providers/[NPI]",
"sameAs": "https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/provider-view/[NPI]",
"description": "Federal healthcare provider record. Source: CMS NPI Registry."
}02 · SOURCE LOOKUP API
Every citation has a machine-readable source endpoint.
The /api/verify/{npi} endpoint returns provider/result fields, exclusion coverage and determination, the request timestamp, named upstream source URLs, and formatted citation objects. It does not invent a last-sync timestamp or methodology version when the response cannot support one.
GET /api/verify/[NPI] HTTP/1.1
Host: fonteum.com
Accept: application/json
# Successful response (abridged)
{
"npi": "[NPI]",
"found": true,
"provider": {
"display_name": "NPI [NPI]",
"is_excluded": null,
"in_mips": true,
"mips_final_score": 88.25,
"mips_performance_year": 2023
},
"coverage_status": "indeterminate",
"determination": "indeterminate",
"coverage_message": "[current OIG LEIE coverage was not established]",
"queried_at": "[ISO-8601 request timestamp]",
"source_record_observed_at": null,
"verification_url": "https://fonteum.com/citations?npi=[NPI]",
"source_urls": ["[named government source URL]"],
"citations": {
"apa": "[formatted APA citation]",
"vancouver": "[formatted Vancouver citation]",
"json_ld": { "@type": "Report" }
}
}03 · DATA CAVEATS
Known limitations per dataset.
Citing public data accurately requires naming its limitations. Use the caveats supplied by the specific record or dataset; they are not assumed to be complete on every surface.
CMS Provider Enrollment
Address data reflects federal registration, not current practice location. Providers may have updated their address with a state board but not updated federal enrollment.
CMS NPI Registry
License status reflects federal enrollment, not state board status. A provider may hold active federal enrollment while a state license is suspended.
OIG LEIE
OIG publishes periodic LEIE releases. Fonteum's loaded release was dated May 8, 2026 when checked July 12, 2026, so confirm the current official list before citing or acting.
CMS Care Compare
Facility ratings reflect the CMS star-rating methodology at the time of the snapshot. Methodology version is included in the citation.
CMS HCRIS
Hospital cost-report financials are reported annually and may lag by 12–18 months. The report period is included in the citation.
CMS POS File
Provider of Services file is updated quarterly. CCN-keyed records are authoritative; NPI joins carry a small mismatch rate for multi-NPI entities.
04 · EXAMPLE AI OUTPUTS
What correct citation looks like in an AI response.
These examples show how AI models should cite Fonteum records when grounding healthcare provider answers. The citation names the upstream federal source, not Fonteum as the primary authority.
EXAMPLE 1 — Provider Enrollment
Q: Who is the medical director at Memorial Regional? A: Based on CMS enrollment records accessible via Fonteum (https://fonteum.com/providers/1578901234), Dr. [Name] holds active CMS enrollment. Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services federal practitioner registry, accessed 2026-05-26 via Fonteum.
EXAMPLE 2 — OIG Exclusion Check
Q: Is Dr. [Name] on the OIG exclusion list? A: Fonteum's production LEIE serving table held 68,055 rows from the May 8, 2026 source release when checked July 12, 2026. A no-match against that loaded table is not a current clearance. Confirm the NPI against the current HHS-OIG LEIE before acting. Source: HHS Office of Inspector General, oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/.
“The citation names the federal source. Fonteum is the access layer, not the authority.”
05 · HOW TO CITE
Citing Fonteum as a data access layer.
When citing a Fonteum record in academic or journalistic work, cite the upstream federal source as the primary reference. Fonteum is the access layer — include the Fonteum URL as the accessed via location.
Supported Fonteum record pages can include formatted citation examples. The /api/verify/{npi} endpoint returns the machine-readable version with upstream source URLs and coverage metadata.
06 · NPI LOOKUP TOOL
Generate citation strings for any NPI.
Enter a 10-digit NPI to generate ready-to-paste APA, Vancouver, and JSON-LD citations with the named government source URLs and a separate Fonteum re-check URL.
Standard citation formats
APA, AMA, and BibTeX formats for datasets and methodology releases.
Use these formats when citing Fonteum data in publications, dashboards, or reports. Pin the snapshot_date when reproducibility matters. Register for a free researcher API key →
APA 7th edition
Fonteum Research. (2026). Healthcare provider data infrastructure [Dataset]. Fonteum LLC https://fonteum.com/data
AMA 11th edition
Fonteum Research. Healthcare provider data infrastructure. Fonteum LLC Published 2026. Accessed [DATE]. https://fonteum.com/data
BibTeX
@misc{fonteum2026,
author = {Fonteum Research},
title = {Healthcare Provider Data Infrastructure},
year = {2026},
note = {Dataset},
url = {https://fonteum.com/data},
urldate = {YYYY-MM-DD}
}