Adding your NPI number

Your National Provider Identifier (NPI) is the 10-digit number insurers bill against. Doulas, lactation consultants, and midwives in the US can add theirs to their Bornbir profile. We check it against NPPES, the federal NPI registry, and once it checks out your profile shows an NPI verified badge and your NPI goes on the superbills you make for clients.

Who can add an NPI

The NPI row appears on your profile if your country is the United States and your primary or secondary categories include doula (birth or postpartum), lactation consultant, or midwife. Other categories don't bill insurers, so they don't see it. You can add an NPI on any plan; making superbills with it takes Premium or Business.

Don't have an NPI yet? You can apply for one free at nppes.cms.hhs.gov.

Adding your NPI

  1. Go to Profile in your portal sidebar and open the Service tab.
  2. In the NPI row, click Add NPI.
  3. Enter your 10-digit NPI and click Check and save.

We look the number up on NPPES right away. If it checks out, you'll see "NPI verified against the NPPES registry." The NPI row then shows your number marked Verified, with the specialty, taxonomy code, state, and the date it was checked.

What we check

  • The number is real. It must be exactly 10 digits with a valid check digit, and NPPES must have a provider with that NPI.
  • It's active. A deactivated NPI can't be added.
  • The name matches your profile. For an individual NPI, the name on record must be yours. Married or hyphenated surnames and short first names (like "Kat" for "Katherine") are fine. For an organization NPI, the name on record must match your business name, or be named after you.
  • The specialty fits your categories. The NPI must carry a taxonomy that matches what you offer: 374J00000X (Doula) for doulas, 174N00000X or 163WL0100X (lactation consultant) for lactation consultants, and 176B00000X or 367A00000X (midwife) for midwives.

If your NPI doesn't check out

You'll see one of these messages:

  • "An NPI is exactly 10 digits."
  • "That isn't a valid NPI. Check the number on your NPPES record."
  • "NPPES has no provider with NPI [number]. Check the number on your record."
  • "NPPES lists NPI [number] as deactivated."
  • "We couldn't reach the NPPES registry. Try again in a minute."

If the number exists but doesn't fit, you'll see "This NPI doesn't match your profile", followed by what NPPES has on record (name, specialty, and state) and the reason: "The name on record isn't the one on your profile." or "Its specialty doesn't fit the services on your profile." If you made a typo, check the number on your NPPES record. If the name or specialty on record is wrong, update it with NPPES first, then try again. If the name on your Bornbir profile is the problem, see "Editing your profile".

Where the badge shows

Once your NPI is verified, families see an NPI verified badge on your card in search results and on city and category pages, in the profile preview they open from Search, and at the top of your public profile. The Trust & safety section of your profile shows your NPI and specialty, and says Bornbir matched the number and name against the NPPES registry, with the date.

Changing or removing your NPI

Click Edit in the NPI row. To change it, enter the new number and click Check and save; it's checked again the same way. To take it off, click Remove NPI and confirm. The NPI verified badge comes off your profile. Superbills you've already made keep the NPI they were made with.

NPI and superbills

Superbills need a verified NPI, because insurers reject superbills without one. Every superbill you create uses the NPI and taxonomy on your profile at that moment. See "Creating superbills for insurance reimbursement".

Questions? Email support@bornbir.com.

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