What the letters after a provider’s name mean
A listing that reads “Joan M Digeorge, RN, FNP-BC” tells a medical biller everything and a patient nothing. These are the 109 abbreviations that appear in this directory, covering 4,866,544 of the credentials providers have reported to CMS.
Physicians and surgeons
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD | Doctor of Medicine | A physician who completed allopathic medical school. | 1,127,832 |
| DO | Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine | A fully licensed physician, trained like an MD with additional musculoskeletal training. Equivalent practice rights in all 50 states. | 149,384 |
| DPM | Doctor of Podiatric Medicine | A foot and ankle physician and surgeon. | 23,082 |
| MBBS | Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery | The medical degree awarded in the UK, India and many Commonwealth countries; equivalent to an MD. | 7,348 |
| FACS | Fellow of the American College of Surgeons | A surgeon admitted as a fellow of the ACS. | 941 |
| FACP | Fellow of the American College of Physicians | An internist admitted as a fellow of the ACP. | 583 |
| FACC | Fellow of the American College of Cardiology | A cardiologist admitted as a fellow of the ACC. | 500 |
| FAAP | Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics | A paediatrician admitted as a fellow of the AAP. | 394 |
| FACOG | Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists | An obstetrician-gynaecologist admitted as a fellow of ACOG. | 274 |
| FAAFP | Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians | A family physician admitted as a fellow of the AAFP. | 138 |
Dental
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| DDS | Doctor of Dental Surgery | A dentist. DDS and DMD are the same qualification — universities choose which title to award. | 172,477 |
| DMD | Doctor of Dental Medicine | A dentist. Identical training and licensing to a DDS. | 80,080 |
| RDH | Registered Dental Hygienist | A licensed hygienist who cleans teeth and screens for oral disease. | 10,736 |
| DDS-MS | Doctor of Dental Surgery with a Master of Science | A dentist who also completed a research or specialty master's degree. | 2 |
Nursing
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| RN | Registered Nurse | A licensed nurse who completed a nursing degree and passed the NCLEX-RN examination. | 174,484 |
| CRNA | Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist | An advanced practice nurse who administers anaesthesia. | 61,933 |
| LPN | Licensed Practical Nurse | A licensed nurse who works under the direction of an RN or physician. | 42,561 |
| MSN | Master of Science in Nursing | A graduate nursing degree, usually held alongside an advanced practice licence. | 25,958 |
| DNP | Doctor of Nursing Practice | The highest clinical degree in nursing. | 20,741 |
| BSN | Bachelor of Science in Nursing | A four-year nursing degree. | 15,368 |
| CNM | Certified Nurse-Midwife | An advanced practice nurse who provides prenatal care and delivers babies. | 14,640 |
| LVN | Licensed Vocational Nurse | The same role as an LPN; the title used in California and Texas. | 9,256 |
Advanced practice and physician assistants
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA-C | Physician Assistant, Certified | A physician assistant who holds current national certification. | 121,635 |
| NP | Nurse Practitioner | An advanced practice nurse who can diagnose, treat and in most states prescribe. | 87,699 |
| APRN | Advanced Practice Registered Nurse | The umbrella licence covering nurse practitioners, midwives, anaesthetists and clinical nurse specialists. | 74,554 |
| FNP | Family Nurse Practitioner | A nurse practitioner who treats patients of all ages, much like a family doctor. | 54,632 |
| PA | Physician Assistant | A licensed clinician who examines, diagnoses and treats under a physician's supervision. | 54,345 |
| FNP-C | Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified | A family nurse practitioner certified by the AANP. | 43,571 |
| ARNP | Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner | The title some states use for an advanced practice nurse. | 28,103 |
| FNP-BC | Family Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified | A family nurse practitioner certified by the ANCC. | 26,035 |
| CRNP | Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner | The title Pennsylvania and some other states use for a nurse practitioner. | 23,697 |
| CNP | Certified Nurse Practitioner | A certified nurse practitioner. | 15,699 |
| NP-C | Nurse Practitioner, Certified | A nurse practitioner certified by the AANP. | 15,574 |
| PMHNP-BC | Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified | A board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner. | 13,937 |
| APN | Advanced Practice Nurse | The umbrella title some states use for nurse practitioners and other advanced practice nurses. | 11,438 |
| PMHNP | Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner | A nurse practitioner specialising in mental health, able to prescribe psychiatric medication. | 10,799 |
| PAC | Physician Assistant, Certified | A physician assistant holding current national certification; usually written PA-C. | 6,943 |
| CPNP | Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner | A nurse practitioner certified in paediatrics. | 5,943 |
| CNS | Clinical Nurse Specialist | An advanced practice nurse specialising in a patient population or setting. | 3,783 |
| PNP | Pediatric Nurse Practitioner | A nurse practitioner specialising in children. | 3,422 |
| WHNP | Women's Health Nurse Practitioner | A nurse practitioner specialising in women's health. | 2,572 |
| ACNP | Acute Care Nurse Practitioner | A nurse practitioner who treats acutely ill patients, usually in hospital. | 2,357 |
| AGNP | Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner | A nurse practitioner focused on adults and older people. | 1,216 |
Pharmacy
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHARMD | Doctor of Pharmacy | The professional degree required to practise as a pharmacist in the United States. | 157,339 |
| RPH | Registered Pharmacist | A pharmacist licensed by a state board. | 70,576 |
| BCPS | Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist | A pharmacist with advanced certification in drug therapy. | 1,592 |
Therapy and rehabilitation
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PT | Physical Therapist | A licensed therapist who treats movement, pain and injury. | 143,700 |
| DPT | Doctor of Physical Therapy | The doctoral degree now required to enter physical therapy practice. | 112,991 |
| CCC-SLP | Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology | A speech-language pathologist certified by ASHA. | 68,115 |
| OTR/L | Occupational Therapist, Registered and Licensed | An occupational therapist who is both nationally registered and state licensed. | 58,475 |
| LMT | Licensed Massage Therapist | A state-licensed massage therapist. | 39,448 |
| PTA | Physical Therapist Assistant | Delivers treatment under a physical therapist's direction. | 36,494 |
| ATC | Certified Athletic Trainer | Prevents and treats sport and activity injuries. | 33,638 |
| OTR | Occupational Therapist, Registered | A nationally registered occupational therapist. | 22,085 |
| SLP | Speech-Language Pathologist | Treats speech, language and swallowing disorders. | 20,907 |
| OT | Occupational Therapist | Helps people regain the skills needed for daily living and work. | 18,288 |
| AUD | Doctor of Audiology | A hearing specialist who tests hearing and fits hearing aids. | 15,607 |
| COTA | Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | Delivers treatment under an occupational therapist's direction. | 13,427 |
| COTA/L | Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Licensed | An occupational therapy assistant who is both certified and state licensed. | 11,806 |
| LAT | Licensed Athletic Trainer | A state-licensed athletic trainer. | 10,890 |
| LMP | Licensed Massage Practitioner | A state-licensed massage practitioner. | 9,553 |
| MPT | Master of Physical Therapy | The master's-level physical therapy degree awarded before the DPT became standard. | 9,302 |
| OTD | Doctor of Occupational Therapy | The doctoral degree in occupational therapy. | 7,859 |
| RRT | Registered Respiratory Therapist | Treats breathing disorders and manages ventilators. | 3,932 |
| CCC-A | Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology | An audiologist certified by ASHA. | 3,529 |
| CHT | Certified Hand Therapist | An occupational or physical therapist with advanced certification in hand and upper-limb rehabilitation. | 2,385 |
Mental health and social work
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCSW | Licensed Clinical Social Worker | A social worker licensed to diagnose and treat mental health conditions independently. | 165,903 |
| LPC | Licensed Professional Counselor | A licensed mental health counsellor. | 108,351 |
| MSW | Master of Social Work | The graduate degree in social work. | 63,424 |
| LMSW | Licensed Master Social Worker | A master's-level social worker, usually practising under supervision. | 49,630 |
| PSYD | Doctor of Psychology | A doctoral psychologist trained primarily for clinical practice. | 42,442 |
| LMFT | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist | A therapist licensed to treat couples and families. | 40,388 |
| RBT | Registered Behavior Technician | Delivers behaviour therapy under a behaviour analyst's supervision. | 35,246 |
| LMHC | Licensed Mental Health Counselor | A licensed mental health counsellor; the title used in Florida, New York and Washington among others. | 33,563 |
| BCBA | Board Certified Behavior Analyst | Designs and supervises applied behaviour analysis programmes, often for autism. | 31,970 |
| LAC | Licensed Associate Counselor | A counsellor practising under supervision toward full licensure. In some states the same letters mean Licensed Acupuncturist. | 28,256 |
| LICSW | Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker | The title some states use for an independently practising clinical social worker. | 26,927 |
| LSW | Licensed Social Worker | A state-licensed social worker. | 20,081 |
| NCC | National Certified Counselor | A counsellor certified by the NBCC. | 15,887 |
| LCPC | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor | A licensed clinical counsellor. | 15,782 |
| MFT | Marriage and Family Therapist | A therapist who treats couples and families. | 14,281 |
| LPCC | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor | The title some states use for a licensed clinical counsellor. | 14,071 |
| LISW | Licensed Independent Social Worker | A social worker licensed to practise independently. | 7,583 |
| CADC | Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor | A certified addiction counsellor. | 6,649 |
| LADC | Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor | A licensed addiction counsellor. | 5,650 |
Eye care
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| OD | Doctor of Optometry | An optometrist: examines eyes, prescribes glasses and contacts, and treats many eye conditions. | 61,015 |
Other clinical
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC | Doctor of Chiropractic | A licensed chiropractor. | 99,465 |
| RD | Registered Dietitian | A credentialed nutrition professional. | 46,717 |
| RDN | Registered Dietitian Nutritionist | The current title for a registered dietitian. | 15,231 |
| LD | Licensed Dietitian | A dietitian licensed by a state board. | 12,269 |
| LDN | Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist | A state-licensed dietitian nutritionist. | 9,756 |
| CDE | Certified Diabetes Educator | Teaches people to manage diabetes day to day. | 4,242 |
| MT | Medical Technologist | Performs laboratory testing on clinical specimens. | 2,322 |
| BC | Board Certified | Appended to another credential to show current board certification, as in APRN-BC. | 2,195 |
| DVM | Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | A veterinarian. | 1,734 |
| CPC | Certified Professional Coder | A medical coding credential, not a clinical one. | 948 |
| EMT | Emergency Medical Technician | Provides emergency care before and during transport to hospital. | 793 |
| NREMT | Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician | An EMT registered at national level. | 266 |
| DACBR | Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology | A chiropractor with advanced radiology certification. | 46 |
Academic degrees
| Code | Stands for | What it means | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS | Master of Science | A graduate science degree. | 152,147 |
| PHD | Doctor of Philosophy | A research doctorate. In healthcare it usually sits alongside a clinical licence. | 120,447 |
| MA | Master of Arts | A graduate arts degree. | 102,281 |
| BA | Bachelor of Arts | An undergraduate arts degree. | 20,772 |
| BS | Bachelor of Science | An undergraduate science degree. | 19,809 |
| MED | Master of Education | A graduate education degree, written M.Ed. | 18,799 |
| MPH | Master of Public Health | A graduate degree in population health. | 18,587 |
| MBA | Master of Business Administration | A graduate business degree. | 6,072 |
| EDD | Doctor of Education | A doctorate in education. | 4,944 |
| MHA | Master of Health Administration | A graduate degree in health management. | 999 |
Business suffixes
| Code | Stands for |
|---|---|
| LLC | Limited liability company |
| PLLC | Professional limited liability company |
| PC | Professional corporation |
| PA | Professional association |
| PSC | Professional service corporation |
| LLP | Limited liability partnership |
| LP | Limited partnership |
| Inc | Incorporated |
| Corp | Corporation |
| Ltd | Limited |
| APMC | A professional medical corporation |
| APC | A professional corporation |
Common questions
Is a DO the same as an MD?
For practical purposes, yes. Both are fully licensed physicians with the same prescribing and surgical rights in all 50 states. Osteopathic training adds manipulative medicine to the same core curriculum.
Is a DDS different from a DMD?
No. They are the same qualification with the same curriculum requirements; universities choose which title to award.
Can a nurse practitioner prescribe?
In most states, yes — though the degree of physician oversight required varies by state and by drug schedule.
Why do some providers list six sets of letters?
NPPES lets providers type whatever they like into a free-text field. Some list every degree and certification they hold; most list one or two. We show at most four.