What is the DPM degree and how does it affect NPI records for podiatrists?

DPM stands for Doctor of Podiatric Medicine — a clinical doctorate awarded by accredited podiatric medical schools, separate from MD (Doctor of Medicine) and DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) programs. In the Memphis NPI-1 podiatry records, the credential field showed DPM and D.P.M. — not MD or DO. This matters for device and pharma reps: podiatrists have state podiatry board licenses (not medical board), and their formulary access, prescribing authority, and clinical workflows differ by state. The NPI registry includes podiatrists as individual healthcare providers with full NPI-1 records.

How do podiatrists differ from orthopedic surgeons in the NPI registry for a wound care or lower-extremity device rep?

Podiatrists (213E00000X, DPM) handle lower-extremity conditions below the ankle, including diabetic foot ulcers, nail disorders, bunions, and podiatric surgery. Orthopaedic surgeons (208610000X, MD) cover musculoskeletal conditions including foot and ankle orthopedics. For wound care products and diabetic foot dressings, podiatrists are typically the primary call target. For ankle reconstruction hardware and orthopedic implants, orthopedic surgeons are the target. Both populations are queryable from the same NPI registry using their respective taxonomy strings — they are entirely separate NUCC codes with no record overlap.

Find Podiatrists by Zip Code — NPI Registry Guide

Q: Why does 'Podiatry' return zero NPI results?

The word 'Podiatry' refers to the field — it is not a NUCC provider taxonomy string. NUCC classifies individual practitioners by their designation, not their field name. The correct taxonomy string is 'Podiatrist' (213E00000X). This is the same pattern as other fields where the discipline name and the practitioner designation diverge: 'Psychiatry' works (it's the NUCC taxonomy string for the specialty group), but 'Cardiology' doesn't — you need 'Cardiovascular Disease'. For podiatry, the practitioner form 'Podiatrist' is the string that works.

Q: What podiatry subspecialties appear in a Podiatrist NPI query?

The 'Podiatrist' query captures all podiatric subcodes via prefix matching. In the Memphis raw data (47 records, 2026-06-13): 18 had primary taxonomy 'Podiatrist' (213E00000X — general podiatric practice), 16 had 'Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery' (213ES0103X — surgical podiatrists), and 3 had 'Podiatrist, Primary Podiatric Medicine'. A single 'Podiatrist' query captures all three groups. To isolate surgical podiatrists specifically, filter on primary taxonomy code 213ES0103X in the raw data.

Q: Why did Vermont return more podiatrists than Memphis?

Vermont statewide returned 57 podiatrists; Memphis city returned 47. The statewide vs. city comparison explains most of the difference — Vermont's 57 are spread across the entire state, while Memphis's 47 are city-only. Vermont also has relatively strong DPM representation per capita for a small state. The important note for rep planning: a Memphis territory would include additional podiatrists in Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville that a city-only query misses — a 25-mile radius query from a central Memphis ZIP would return a larger count than the city-only figure.

Q: How does the Memphis podiatry call list break down between individual providers and organizations?

Memphis returned 47 total on 2026-06-13: 22 NPI-1 individual providers and 25 NPI-2 organizations. The high NPI-2 share (53%) reflects that podiatry is heavily organized into group practices, podiatric group affiliations, and wound care centers. For a device or wound care product rep building a call list, NPI-1 records (the individual DPMs) are the target for direct outreach; NPI-2 records (the group practices and clinics) inform the account structure and purchasing entity.

Published 2026-06-13 · Data queried from CMS NPI Registry v2.1 · getdork

Methodology: All counts queried live from CMS NPI Registry API v2.1 on 2026-06-13 using taxonomy_description=Podiatrist. No auth required. Raw data: npi-counts-podiatry.json · Memphis raw · Vermont raw · Script: npi-counts-podiatry.ps1

The short answer: Use taxonomy_description=Podiatrist (NUCC 213E00000X). "Podiatry" returns zero — the field name is not a NUCC taxonomy string. "Foot Doctor" returns zero. Podiatrists are DPMs (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine), not MDs — a distinct degree class with its own NUCC taxonomy group.

Critical gotcha — empirically verified 2026-06-13: taxonomy_description=Podiatry → 0 results (the field name, not the practitioner)
taxonomy_description=Foot+Doctor → 0 results

The correct string is Podiatrist (213E00000X). Additionally: podiatrists are DPMs, not MDs — they hold a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from an accredited podiatric school, licensed under state podiatry boards. The Memphis credential breakdown confirms: DPM and D.P.M. credentials dominate, with no MD/DO records among the individual providers. This degree distinction matters for reps covering formulary, purchasing authority, and prescribing scope.

Podiatrist records by market — 2026-06-13

Market	Records returned	Notes
New York, NY	200+	Capped — very dense podiatry market
Chicago, IL	200+	Capped
Los Angeles, CA	200+	Capped
Houston, TX	200+	Capped
Phoenix, AZ	200+	Capped
Nashville, TN	200+	Capped
Vermont (statewide)	57	Complete statewide count
Wyoming (statewide)	49	Complete statewide count
Memphis, TN	47	Complete city count — see drill-down below

Source: npi-counts-podiatry.json, queried 2026-06-13.

Memphis drill-down — Podiatrist, 2026-06-13 (n=47)
Entity type: 22 NPI-1 (individual DPMs) · 25 NPI-2 (organizations: podiatric group practices, wound care centers, clinics)
Primary taxonomy breakdown (from raw data):
• 18 records: 213E00000X — Podiatrist (general podiatric practice)
• 16 records: 213ES0103X — Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery
• 3 records: Podiatrist, Primary Podiatric Medicine
• 1 record each: Optometrist, Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinic/Center Rehabilitation (address-matched)
Credential breakdown (NPI-1): DPM: 11 · D.P.M.: 9 · DPM, MS: 1 · (none): small number of NPI-2 org records

The 22 NPI-1 records are the individual practicing podiatrists. The 25 NPI-2 records represent podiatric group practices and clinic-level accounts — useful for identifying group purchasing entities.

Vermont note (n=57): Vermont's higher statewide count than Memphis city reflects the state-vs-city comparison. A 25-mile radius query from a central Memphis ZIP would return more providers than the city-only figure.

Podiatry taxonomy breakdown

Taxonomy string	NUCC code	Who they are	Included in Podiatrist query?
`Podiatrist`	213E00000X	General podiatric practice — the base NUCC code	Yes (direct match)
`Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery`	213ES0103X	Surgical podiatrists — performs foot and ankle reconstructive surgery	Yes (prefix match on "Podiatrist")
`Podiatrist, Primary Podiatric Medicine`	(subcategory)	Primary podiatric care providers — wound care, diabetic foot, conservative treatment	Yes (prefix match on "Podiatrist")
`Podiatry`	N/A	The field name — not a NUCC taxonomy string	0 results
`Foot Doctor`	N/A	Colloquial title — not a NUCC taxonomy string	0 results

Verified live 2026-06-13. Source: npi-counts-podiatry.json.

How to build a podiatrist call list

Query Podiatrist — not Podiatry

https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/api/?version=2.1
  &taxonomy_description=Podiatrist
  &city=Memphis&state=TN&limit=200

Returns 47 records for Memphis. This includes all three podiatric subcodes (general Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery, Primary Podiatric Medicine) via prefix matching. Filter on enumeration_type=NPI-1 for the 22 individual practicing DPMs. The 25 NPI-2 records are group practices and wound care center accounts.

For surgical podiatrists specifically, filter on NUCC 213ES0103X

16 of the 47 Memphis records had primary taxonomy Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery (213ES0103X). Surgical podiatrists are the target for foot and ankle device reps covering reconstructive hardware, fixation systems, and arthroscopy equipment. Filter the raw data on primary taxonomy code 213ES0103X to isolate surgical podiatrists from the general podiatric medicine practitioners.

Use radius queries for metros and statewide for sparse markets

Podiatrists practice in standalone offices, wound care centers, and hospital systems. In most mid-size metros, they are distributed across suburban areas — a 25-mile radius from a central ZIP captures the city and its suburbs. Vermont statewide returned 57; Wyoming statewide returned 49 — small complete lists that need no radius math.

Search podiatrists by ZIP — free
getdork queries Podiatrist (not the zero-returning "Podiatry"), applies Haversine radius filtering, and exports a CRM-ready CSV with NPI, name, DPM credential, address, and phone.

Search podiatrists in your territory →

Radius guidance for podiatry territories

Podiatrists practice primarily in standalone clinics, wound care centers, and multi-specialty group practices. Unlike hospital-anchored specialties, they distribute broadly across suburban and rural areas — following patient populations with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and musculoskeletal conditions.

Dense urban (NYC, Chicago, LA, Houston, Phoenix, Nashville — all 200+): 10–20 miles within city limits returns a capped list; consider ZIP-by-ZIP queries for complete coverage
Mid-size metro (Memphis: 47 city-only): 25 miles captures the metro area including suburban podiatric practices
Sparse state (Vermont: 57 statewide, Wyoming: 49 statewide): query statewide — these complete lists are manageable in a single CRM import

Frequently asked questions

Why does "Podiatry" return zero NPI results?

"Podiatry" refers to the field of medicine — it is not a NUCC provider taxonomy string. NUCC classifies practitioners by their designation, not their field name. The correct string is "Podiatrist" (213E00000X). This field-vs-practitioner mismatch trips up reps who search by discipline name: "Podiatry" → 0, "Optometry" → 0 (use "Optometrist"), "Psychiatry" works (because NUCC uses the specialty noun for this one), but the rule is to verify empirically rather than assume.

What is the DPM degree and how does it affect NPI records?

DPM = Doctor of Podiatric Medicine — a clinical doctorate from accredited podiatric medical schools, separate from MD/DO programs. Licensed under state podiatry boards, not state medical boards. Memphis NPI-1 podiatry records showed DPM and D.P.M. credentials — no MDs. For device and pharma reps, this affects formulary access (podiatrists have prescribing authority in most states but scope varies), purchasing pathways (often independent of hospital systems), and clinical workflow (office-based, not typically inpatient).

What podiatry subspecialties appear in a Podiatrist NPI query?

The "Podiatrist" query captures all podiatric subcodes via prefix matching. Memphis data (2026-06-13): 18 records with primary taxonomy Podiatrist (213E00000X — general practice), 16 with Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery (213ES0103X — surgical podiatrists), and 3 with Podiatrist, Primary Podiatric Medicine. All are returned in a single "Podiatrist" query. To target surgical podiatrists specifically (foot and ankle reconstruction, fixation), filter the raw data on primary taxonomy code 213ES0103X.

Why did Vermont return more podiatrists than Memphis?

Vermont statewide (57) vs. Memphis city (47) — this is a state-vs-city comparison, not a true density comparison. Vermont's 57 are spread across the entire state; Memphis's 47 are city-proper only. A 25-mile radius query from a central Memphis ZIP would capture additional podiatrists in Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville not included in the city-only query. For planning purposes, the city-only figure understates the actual Memphis metro podiatric population.

How does the Memphis podiatry call list break down between individual providers and organizations?

Memphis returned 47 total: 22 NPI-1 individual DPMs and 25 NPI-2 organizations. The 53% NPI-2 share is higher than most physician specialties and reflects podiatry's group-practice and wound care clinic structure. For direct provider outreach, target the 22 NPI-1 DPMs. For account management and group purchasing (e.g., wound care center supply contracts), the NPI-2 records identify the group practice and clinic accounts.

How do podiatrists differ from orthopedic surgeons for a lower-extremity device rep?

Podiatrists (213E00000X, DPM) handle conditions below the ankle — diabetic foot ulcers, nail disorders, bunions, flatfoot, and podiatric surgery. Orthopaedic surgeons (208610000X, MD) cover musculoskeletal conditions including foot and ankle orthopedics, but approach from a broader surgical platform. For wound care products and diabetic foot devices, podiatrists are typically the primary call target. For ankle reconstruction hardware and orthopedic implants, orthopedic surgeons are the target. Separate NUCC codes, separate call lists, no record overlap.

Methodology

All data queried live from CMS NPI Registry API v2.1 on 2026-06-13. Both gotcha queries (Podiatry and Foot+Doctor) confirmed zero results. All raw response files are available above. Subspecialty breakdown for Memphis derived from the raw JSON at npi-podiatry-memphis-tn-raw.json.

Related guides

How to search the NPI registry
What is an NPI number?
How to find physicians by specialty and state
Find orthopedic surgeons by zip code — Orthopaedic Surgery (208610000X)
Find general surgeons by zip code — Surgery (208600000X)