The NPPES database is the central repository of data about doctors and hospitals in the United States. It is the core of the DocGraph dataset, forming the node data, which we add various edges to. The database has been a mess for years. Lots of non-compliant data.
For those who have not been paying attention, CMS has an internal innovation project to improve the NPPES database. Recently, Alan Viars, one of the strongest Health IT hackers I know took the job as the outside Entrepreneur to improve the database. I deeply thankful that Alan decided to take his turn serving in the government directly, and he and I have been complaining together for years about our shared frustrations with the quality of the NPPES data.
Recently Alan announced a new google group mailing list for those interested in collaborating with him and CMS about improvements to the data.
http://groups.google.com/d/
So if you are “into” the NPPES dataset as much as we are over at the DocGraph project, you should join the group and start contributing.
-FT