Loaded provider data vs annual snapshots
A paywalled annual snapshot freezes provider records at one point each year. Fonteum instead reports loaded source or observation dates where available. On July 12, 2026, NPPES was observed at June 10; PECOS at June 18; OIG LEIE at May 8; checked Care Compare modules at May 7; and PBJ at June 30, 2025. Dates and publisher cadences vary; these observations do not establish currentness.
Published June 17, 2026 · Last reviewed June 2026 · Capability comparison — public facts only
From a yearly edition to source-specific loaded dates
| Capability | Paywalled annual snapshots | Fonteum |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh cadence | One edition per contract year. | Observed July 12, 2026: NPPES June 10; PECOS June 18; OIG LEIE May 8; Care Compare May 7; PBJ June 30, 2025. Dates and cadences vary. |
| Access model | Behind a paid annual license. | Free to read — the same public-domain federal records, no paywall. |
| Freshness visibility | A single edition date for the whole dataset. | Loaded source release or observation dates shown where available; dates vary by source and response. |
| Point-in-time history | Each annual edition replaces the prior one. | Retained versions are source-specific; arbitrary-date replay is not promised. |
| Stale-data risk | An edition ages across the full year between releases. | The freshness page separates daily row-count observations from upstream release dates. |
| Tamper-evidence | No public provenance or integrity chain. | Stored hashes and attestation metadata where present; chain coverage is incomplete. |
| Identity resolution | Varies by product; not always NPI-keyed. | NPI-resolved across active providers. |
| Reproducibility | Methodology is often proprietary and not re-derivable. | Published figures link to open federal files and methods where available. |
| Delivery | Annual export or a portal seat. | FHIR R4 API, MCP server, bulk export, and free research CSV/JSON. |
A point-in-time annual snapshot is accurate the week it ships and drifts until the next release. Descriptions reflect the annual-snapshot model — a licensed yearly edition — not any single vendor.
What a once-a-year edition cannot show
An annual edition ages all year
A point-in-time snapshot is accurate the week it ships and drifts every week after. Providers move, enroll, get excluded, and change ownership continuously. A once-a-year edition cannot reflect a mid-year OIG exclusion or a new enrollment until the next release.
Loaded dates, source by source
On July 12, 2026, Fonteum observed NPPES at June 10, PECOS at June 18, OIG LEIE at May 8, checked Care Compare modules at May 7, and PBJ at June 30, 2025. These are loaded system, source, or observation dates—not proof that a publisher cadence completed. Dates vary by source and response.
Open and reproducible, not licensed and opaque
Annual snapshots are licensed assets with proprietary methodology. Fonteum publishes public-domain federal records openly, and published figures link to original files and methods where available — so the data is free to read and independently checkable, not a sealed annual export.
Compare other data capabilities
Provider data vs raw public files →
NPI-resolved, provenance-tracked records vs parsing bulk CSVs yourself.
Exclusion screening vs single-list checks →
Multi-source, NPI-resolved exclusion screening vs checking one list.
Healthcare provider data platforms compared →
How sourcing model and provenance separate the category.
Common questions
- What is wrong with an annual data snapshot?
- Nothing, if the data never changes — but provider data changes constantly. An annual snapshot is accurate the week it ships and drifts all year. A mid-year OIG exclusion, a new Medicare enrollment, or an ownership change will not appear until the next yearly edition, which can be eleven months away.
- How current is Fonteum's data?
- Publishers declare different cadences, but Fonteum reports loaded release or observation dates rather than promising those schedules completed. On July 12, 2026, NPPES was observed with a June 10 system timestamp; PECOS with a June 18 source date; OIG LEIE with May 8; checked Care Compare modules with May 7; and PBJ with June 30, 2025. Dates and publisher cadences vary by source.
- Can I still get a point-in-time view if the data is always refreshing?
- Only where captured prior versions exist. Production history is concentrated in UK sanctions, with small retained sets for procurement awards, OFAC, UN sanctions, and provenance claims. Provider-wide arbitrary-date replay is not available.
- Is the data free, and how is freshness proven?
- The data is free to read — the underlying records are public-domain federal works. Freshness is shown with source-specific loaded dates where available. Some snapshots carry a SHA-256 digest or attestation metadata; that coverage is not universal and does not sign individual facts.
- Why do paywalled snapshots cost money if the data is federal?
- Much provider data originates in public-domain federal files, but a vendor adds packaging, enrichment, and a yearly license on top. Fonteum keeps the federal records open and charges only for what costs money to provide — scoped exports, API throughput, and integration support — not for access to the federal data itself.
- What is the risk of confidently stale data?
- The real failure mode is data labeled current without a loaded date. Fonteum reports source release or observation dates where available and leaves missing dates explicit. The July 12 observations ranged from PBJ's June 30, 2025 date to PECOS's June 18, 2026 date; none proves that a publisher cadence completed.
Read dated federal data — free.
Check per-source freshness at /freshness, browse free research at /research, or request access.
- /freshness → Loaded-source observations and publisher cadence context.
- /sources → Every source family with tier, cadence, and limitations.
- /data-provenance → Available source and date metadata across responses.
- /research → Free, reproducible studies on the federal record.