Unique Physician Identification Number (UPIN) Directory

The Unique Physician Identification Number (UPIN) Directory contains selected information on physicians, doctors of Osteopathy, limited licensed practitioners and some non-physician practitioners who are enrolled in the Medicare Program. The data elements in the file (UPIN, full name, specialty, Physician License State Code, zip code, Medicare provider billing number and State) are extracted from the UPIN Database and are approved for public release in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) System of Records. The file is updated quarterly with updates being available usually by April 15, July 15, October 15, and January 15. Each update file is considered as a replacement file.

Data Format:  Text

Approximate Size:  170 MB 

Compatible Software Programs:  Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL/DB2/Oracle, SAS or other statistical software. (Note: Microsoft Excel or TextPad cannot be used to analyze the UPIN Directory)

Media: CD-ROM (ASCII-data only-no built in browse feature)
File Cost: $100.00
Available: The Final Update is 2007 Q2

The UPIN has been discontinued as of June 2007 and replaced with the National Provider Identifier (NPI).  At this time, there are no plans to create an NPI file for public use.