NPPES NPI Registry vs Orderly Provider Directory

The NPPES NPI Registry is a free public directory of active National Provider Identifier records. NPPES assigns unique NPIs to health care providers and health plans, and the registry supports lookups by NPI number or type, taxonomy, provider or organization name, authorized official, location, postal code, and address type. CMS provides access through web search, an API, and downloadable files. The search page limits results to the first 2100 records, and hourly query limits apply; bulk queries must use the DDS file. CMS recommends Version 2 downloads because Version 1 monthly and weekly files are no longer supported. The listed September 14, 2026 monthly Version 2 ZIP is 1,105.79 MB, and each zipped download includes reference files for other names, practice locations, and endpoints. Registry records and downloads are subject to FOIA disclosure, and active records cannot be suppressed or opted out. CMS says it provides no help desk or technical support for downloading, manipulating, or using dissemination files. The system also supports provider endpoints such as Direct addresses and FHIR server URLs for electronic health information exchange.

Orderly Provider Directory combines real-time clinician and healthcare-entity data for organizations that need provider search and directory records. The directory lists 6.4 million clinician profiles across more than 500 specialties. Real-time search can be narrowed with Care Categories, Provider Tags, specialty filters, and insurance filters. Profiles may connect clinicians with the entities where they work and include NPI, contact details, specialties, credentials, affiliations, network status, sanctions, licenses, and Care Categories. Orderly says records draw from public sources, data partnerships, and customer insights, including attested data. Proprietary algorithms process and validate information, while field-level confidence scores weigh source quality, data age, and decay. Customers can use those scores through the API and online interface. Access is available through APIs, a web portal, or scheduled flat-file transfers in JSON, XLSX, or CSV. The service includes organization profiles and update timestamps with reason codes for CMS compliance. Orderly describes its solutions as serving payers, providers, and health technology companies. Pricing is available on request, with annual national, regional, clinician-group, or usage-based options.