What Is NPI Verification — and Why We Require It
When you create an account in the IncMD Provider Portal, the first step asks for your NPI. Here’s exactly what happens with it — and why the thirty seconds it takes protects both of us.
What an NPI is
The National Provider Identifier is a unique 10-digit number issued by CMS to every healthcare provider and organization in the United States. Type 1 NPIs identify individual practitioners; Type 2 NPIs identify organizations — group practices, clinics, surgery centers. The registry behind them (NPPES) is public and maintained by the federal government.
What we actually check
When you enter your NPI, our system queries the NPPES registry in real time and confirms:
- The number is valid and active (not deactivated)
- The name on the registry matches the account being created
- Your provider taxonomy (specialty) is consistent with the products you’re ordering
We pair that with your state license number, status, and expiration — because an NPI alone doesn’t prove prescribing authority, and federal rules for Rx devices (see our 21 CFR 801.109 explainer) hinge on state licensure.
Why this is good for you, not just for us
It keeps restricted devices in professional hands. That protects patients and protects your profession’s supply chain. It creates your compliance trail. Every order you place records that your credentials were verified at the time of purchase — documentation that protects your practice in an audit. It’s fast and one-time. Verify once; every future order is a normal checkout.
What we don’t do
We don’t sell or share your credential data, and we don’t ask for anything the verification doesn’t need. Your information lives in our secured provider database and is used to verify eligibility — that’s it.
Ready to get verified? It takes about three minutes in the Provider Portal.