Can a Provider Have More Than One NPI?

September 06, 2026

Can a health care provider have more than one National Provider Identifier (NPI)? The answer depends on whether the provider is an individual or an organization and what the different NPIs represent.

An individual health care provider is generally identified by a single Type 1 NPI. However, an individual may also own or work through a health care organization that has its own Type 2 NPI. Health care organizations can also have organizational subparts that receive separate NPIs.

As a result, finding several NPIs associated with the same provider name, practice or location does not necessarily mean that duplicate NPIs were issued incorrectly.

Can an Individual Provider Have More Than One NPI?

An individual health care provider is eligible for one Type 1 NPI. The Type 1 NPI identifies the individual rather than the provider's employer, practice location or specialty.

For example, a physician does not normally receive a new Type 1 NPI each time the physician:

Changes employers
Moves to another practice location
Works at more than one location
Changes an address
Updates taxonomy information

The provider instead maintains the information associated with the existing NPI through the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES).

Key Point: An individual provider's Type 1 NPI identifies the person. It is not a separate identifier for each employer, office, specialty or practice location.

How Can One Provider Be Associated with Both a Type 1 and Type 2 NPI?

An individual and a health care organization are different entities for NPI purposes.

An individual provider may have a Type 1 NPI identifying the individual while a corporation, limited liability company or other health care organization associated with that provider has a separate Type 2 NPI.

Example

Dr. Jane Smith is an individual physician with a Type 1 NPI.

If Dr. Smith provides services through an incorporated health care organization, that organization may have its own Type 2 NPI. The two NPIs identify different entities: one identifies Dr. Smith as an individual and the other identifies the organization.

This does not mean that the individual was assigned two Type 1 NPIs.

For a detailed comparison of the two entity types, see NPI Type 1 vs. Type 2: What's the Difference?

Can a Sole Proprietor Have More Than One NPI?

A sole proprietor is treated as an individual for NPI purposes and is eligible for one Type 1 NPI.

Having employees, using an Employer Identification Number (EIN) or operating at multiple locations does not by itself allow a sole proprietor to obtain additional NPIs. A sole proprietor also cannot designate organizational subparts because the sole proprietorship is considered an individual rather than an organization for NPI purposes.

Important: A sole practitioner is not necessarily a sole proprietor. A provider practicing alone may operate through a corporation or other organization, so the provider's legal business structure matters when determining the applicable NPI entity type.

This distinction is also why an NPI and a tax identifier should not be treated as interchangeable identifiers. See NPI Number vs. Tax ID (TIN/EIN): What's the Difference?

Can a Health Care Organization Have More Than One NPI?

Yes. Health care organizations may have organizational components known as subparts, and separate NPIs may be assigned to those subparts when applicable.

A subpart is a component of an organization health care provider that is not itself a separate legal entity but may need to be uniquely identified in HIPAA standard transactions.

For example, a health care organization might include components that provide different types of health care or operate in different physical locations. Depending on how those components conduct transactions and applicable requirements, one or more may be identified as organizational subparts with their own NPIs.

If a subpart of a HIPAA-covered organization conducts HIPAA standard transactions separately from its parent organization, the subpart must have its own NPI.

What Is an NPI Subpart?

An organization subpart is a component of an organization health care provider that may be assigned its own Type 2 NPI even though the component is not a separate legal entity from the parent organization.

Examples of organizational components that may be considered when determining subparts can include different departments, business units, types of health care services or physical locations.

For example, a hospital organization might operate acute care, laboratory, pharmacy and rehabilitation services. Depending on how the organization is structured and how those components conduct HIPAA standard transactions, separate components may need their own NPIs.

Organizations are responsible for determining which components are subparts and which subparts require separate NPIs under applicable requirements.

Remember: The subpart concept applies to organization health care providers. An individual Type 1 provider cannot be a subpart and cannot designate subparts.

Does Each Practice Location Need a Different NPI?

Not necessarily. Having multiple practice locations does not automatically mean that a provider needs a separate NPI for every location.

For an individual provider, multiple practice locations do not result in multiple Type 1 NPIs. NPPES can maintain multiple practice locations associated with an NPI record.

For an organization, a physical location may be considered as part of the organization's subpart determination, but a different address by itself does not establish that a separate NPI is required.

Additional program-specific requirements can also apply. Certain provider or supplier types may have requirements that affect whether separate locations must be identified with separate NPIs.

Does Each Specialty Need a Different NPI?

No. A provider does not obtain a different NPI simply because the provider has more than one specialty or classification.

Provider classifications and specializations can be represented through health care provider taxonomy codes. More than one taxonomy code can be associated with an NPI record, with one taxonomy designated as primary.

For example, an individual provider who has multiple applicable taxonomy classifications does not receive a separate Type 1 NPI for each taxonomy code.

See NPI Taxonomy Codes Explained for more information about primary and additional taxonomy codes.

Does an Individual Need a New NPI When Changing Employers?

No. An individual provider's Type 1 NPI follows the individual rather than the provider's employer.

If a physician leaves one group practice and joins another, the physician does not obtain a new Type 1 NPI simply because the employment relationship changed.

The old and new organizations may have their own Type 2 NPIs, but the physician continues to be identified by the same Type 1 NPI.

Example

A physician with a Type 1 NPI leaves Medical Group A and begins working for Medical Group B. The physician keeps the same Type 1 NPI. Medical Group A and Medical Group B may each have their own Type 2 organization NPIs.

Does Moving to a New Address Require a New NPI?

Generally, no. An NPI is intended to remain with the health care provider even when information such as the provider's address changes.

Instead of obtaining a new NPI solely because of an address change, the provider's NPPES information should be updated as appropriate.

This is another reason that an NPI lookup may show address or update information that has changed over the lifetime of the provider's NPI.

These types of changes generally affect the information associated with an existing NPI rather than causing the NPI to expire. An NPI can also be deactivated or reactivated under appropriate circumstances. See Does an NPI Expire? NPI Changes, Deactivation and Reactivation for a closer look at the lifecycle of an NPI.

Does Changing a Taxonomy Code Require a New NPI?

No. Changing or updating taxonomy information does not by itself require a new NPI.

Taxonomy describes the provider's classification or specialization, while the NPI identifies the provider. Because these serve different purposes, a provider's taxonomy information can change without changing the provider's NPI.

Can an Organization's NPI Change?

Although an NPI is intended to be a lasting identifier, there are circumstances in which an organization may need a new NPI.

For example, certain changes involving ownership, a purchase or an organization's subpart strategy may affect whether a new NPI is necessary. The appropriate result depends on the organizational circumstances and applicable requirements.

This differs from routine updates such as changing an address or taxonomy information, which do not by themselves mean that a new NPI must be assigned.

Why Might an NPI Search Show Several Related NPIs?

An NPI search can return multiple records that appear to be related to the same provider or practice.

Possible explanations include:

An individual provider has a Type 1 NPI and an associated organization has a Type 2 NPI.
Several individual providers work for the same organization.
An organization has subparts with separate Type 2 NPIs.
Different health care organizations have similar names.
Broad search criteria match providers in multiple locations.

When multiple results appear, compare the entity type, provider or organization name, practice location, taxonomy information and other available record information rather than assuming that the records are duplicates.

For additional search guidance, see How to Look Up an NPI Number.

How Can I Tell Whether an NPI Identifies the Individual or the Organization?

The NPI record's entity type provides an important starting point:

Entity Type 1 identifies an individual health care provider.
Entity Type 2 identifies an organization health care provider.

The Eclaims NPI Lookup can be used to search publicly available NPI information and review the entity type, provider name, organization information, taxonomy codes, locations and other available information associated with an NPI record.

Entity type should not be confused with the provider's role on a claim. For example, Type 1 does not automatically mean rendering provider, and Type 2 does not automatically mean billing provider.

Which NPI Should Be Used on a Health Care Claim?

The existence of several related NPIs does not mean that the NPIs can be used interchangeably on a claim.

The appropriate NPI depends on which provider or organization is being identified and the provider role represented by the applicable claim field or electronic transaction.

For example, a professional claim may identify both a billing provider and a rendering provider. Those roles may identify an organization and an individual, respectively, depending on the circumstances.

See Billing Provider NPI vs. Rendering Provider NPI: What's the Difference? for a closer look at those claim roles.

Important: Finding an active NPI does not establish that the NPI is appropriate for a particular claim, payer, provider role or billing arrangement. Applicable payer, enrollment and claim-reporting requirements must also be considered.

Medicare providers and suppliers may also encounter a separate Medicare enrollment identifier known as a Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN). An NPI and PTAN serve different purposes, and one NPI can be associated with more than one PTAN in Medicare. See NPI vs. PTAN: What's the Difference? for more information.

Quick Recap

Situation	Separate NPI?
Individual changes employers	No – the individual's Type 1 NPI remains with the individual.
Individual works at multiple locations	No – multiple locations do not create additional Type 1 NPIs.
Individual has multiple taxonomy codes	No – taxonomy information does not create additional Type 1 NPIs.
Sole proprietor has multiple locations	No – a sole proprietor is eligible for one Type 1 NPI.
Individual operates through a health care organization	Possibly two identifiers – the individual may have a Type 1 NPI while the organization has a Type 2 NPI.
Organization has qualifying subparts	Possibly – organizational subparts may have separate Type 2 NPIs.

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