Doctors in Des Moines, IA
Active healthcare providers in Des Moines sourced from the CMS NPPES weekly file, no proprietary ratings, no editorial scores. NPI counts, specialty distribution, and primary practice addresses refreshed each release.
Where this city sits in the corpus
Des Moines ranks 2nd among 212 Iowa cities by CMS provider count, holding 11.4% of the state's NPIs, led by Clinical Social Worker.
- 5,293
- NPPES providers in city
- 2nd
- of 212 IA cities
- 11.4%
- of Iowa providers
- 19.2%
- in top 3 specialties
Des Moines ranks #1 of 10 Iowa cities for Clinical Social Worker.
Where Des Moines ranks among Iowa cities
Provider count vs every Iowa city in CMS NPPES (212 cities)
5,293 Top 1% higher than 99% of 212 cities
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CMS National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) · 2026
Specialty mix in Des Moines
Share of the city's NPPES registrations by NUCC taxonomy
- Clinical Social Worker
Clinical Social Worker
399 providers
- Pharmacist
Pharmacist
327 providers
- Mental Health Counse…
Mental Health Counselor
291 providers
- Family Medicine Phys…
Family Medicine Physician
261 providers
- Internal Medicine Ph…
Internal Medicine Physician
248 providers
- Student in an Organi…
Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program
209 providers
- Social Worker
Social Worker
202 providers
- Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist
193 providers
- Family Nurse Practit…
Family Nurse Practitioner
170 providers
- Addiction (Substance…
Addiction (Substance Use Disorder) Counselor
165 providers
What this shows Clinical Social Worker is the largest specialty (399 providers, 7.5% of the city), followed by Pharmacist.
City vs state specialty index
Specialties Des Moines has more, and fewer, of than Iowa average
Each multiple is this city's share of a specialty divided by that specialty's average share across Iowa , Des Moines over-indexes surgery physician at 1.9× the state average and under-indexes occupational therapist at 0.63×. This reflects local practice structure, not care quality.
More common here than Iowa average
- Surgery Physician 1.9×
- Anesthesiology Physician 1.8×
- Clinical Social Worker 1.8×
- Pediatrics Physician 1.7×
Less common here than Iowa average
- Occupational Therapist 0.63×
- General Practice Dentistry 0.64×
- Physical Therapist 0.65×
How to read this directory & data limitations
Des Moines, Iowa appears in the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System with 5,293 registered healthcare providers spanning 20 distinct NUCC-taxonomy specialties. This count includes every individual clinician who has applied for an NPI and listed a practice address in Des Moines - physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, chiropractors, physical therapists, optometrists, psychologists, podiatrists, and every other credentialed provider type CMS tracks. It does not measure hospital beds, urgent-care capacity, or whether a given clinic is accepting new patients; it measures the pool of professionals with current NPI enrollment and a Des Moines practice location on file. Every figure is drawn from the federal National Provider Identifier Registry (CMS NPPES) - more than 7 million providers, maintained since May 2007, with 2023 Medicare Part D data, and, according to CMS, can be searched, compared, and traced in our methodology.
The provider mix in Des Moines is weighted toward Clinical Social Worker (399 clinicians, followed by Pharmacist with 327 and Mental Health Counselor with 291). That distribution reflects how NPPES records specialty: providers self-select a primary taxonomy code, so a family physician who also practices geriatrics will show up under whichever NUCC code they registered first. Relative to Iowa's population, Des Moines reports roughly 165 providers per 100,000 residents using the state-level denominator, which is a rough proxy rather than a precise access-to-care measurement; the true catchment area of any {cityName} clinician extends beyond the municipal boundary.
Of Iowa's most common specialties, Chiropractor is the most prominent one with no provider currently listing a Des Moines practice address, a coverage gap Des Moines patients typically fill by traveling to a larger nearby hub.
For Des Moines patients, this directory is most useful as a starting shortlist. Important: PlainDoctor is a directory of publicly available CMS government data, not a review site, a ranking, or medical advice. NPPES data is self-reported and refreshed monthly; call the practice directly to confirm the provider is still there, accepts your insurance, and is taking new patients.
Which specialties are most common in Des Moines
| # | Specialty | Providers | % of city |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clinical Social Worker | 399 | 7.5% |
| 2 | Pharmacist | 327 | 6.2% |
| 3 | Mental Health Counselor | 291 | 5.5% |
| 4 | Family Medicine Physician | 261 | 4.9% |
| 5 | Internal Medicine Physician | 248 | 4.7% |
| 6 | Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program | 209 | 3.9% |
| 7 | Social Worker | 202 | 3.8% |
| 8 | Physical Therapist | 193 | 3.6% |
| 9 | Family Nurse Practitioner | 170 | 3.2% |
| 10 | Addiction (Substance Use Disorder) Counselor | 165 | 3.1% |
| 11 | Physician Assistant | 161 | 3.0% |
| 12 | Registered Nurse | 130 | 2.5% |
| 13 | Nurse Practitioner | 125 | 2.4% |
| 14 | Pediatrics Physician | 121 | 2.3% |
| 15 | Anesthesiology Physician | 113 | 2.1% |
Healthcare Providers (Page 15)
| Name |
|---|
| Thomas Carlstrom, M.D. Neurological Surgery Physician |
| Benjamin Carmack, PA-C Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program |
| Joseph Carmicheal, MD, PHD Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program |
| Julie Carmody, MD Emergency Medicine Physician |
| Amanda Carnahan Emergency Registered Nurse |
| Jennifer Carpenter, LMHC Mental Health Counselor |
| Laura Carpenter Counselor |
| Debra Carr, LMSW Mental Health Counselor |
| Kent Carr, MD Internal Medicine Physician |
| Michael Carr, RPH Pharmacist |
| Hijinio Carreon, D.O. Emergency Medicine Physician |
| Joseph Carrington, DO, MHA Critical Care Medicine (Internal Medicine) Physician |
| Kaylee Carroll, DPT Physical Therapist |
| Kevin Carroll, M.S. Marriage & Family Therapist |
| Jessica Carruth Surgery Physician |
| Emily Carruthers, PHARMD Pharmacist |
| Christine Carstensen, MD Anesthesiology Physician |
| John Carstensen, MD Internal Medicine Physician |
| Cynthia Carter Physician Assistant |
| Jared Carter, PA-C Surgical Physician Assistant |
| Karen Carter Pharmacist |
| Michele Carter, RN Registered Nurse |
| Stephanie Carter, MA CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist |
| Sharyl Cartmill, LMSW Social Worker |
| Cassandra Carvajal Clinical Social Worker |
| Stephen Carveth, MD Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Physician |
| Chandra Case, LMSW Clinical Social Worker |
| William Case, PA Nurse Practitioner |
| Morgan Casey Health Educator |
| Abigail Caslow, PHARMD Pharmacist |
| Danielle Casper, LPN Licensed Practical Nurse |
| Joseph Cassady, M.D. Anesthesiology Physician |
| Nicholas Castellano, MD Surgery Physician |
| Emma Caster Mental Health Counselor |
| Alejandra Castillo, DPM Foot & Ankle Surgery Podiatrist |
| Breanna Castro, OTD, OTR/L Occupational Therapist |
| Elvis Castro, MD Surgery Physician |
| Maria Paula Castro Reales, MD Family Medicine Physician |
| Alex Cathey Hospitalist Physician |
| Gina Caton, LMSW Clinical Social Worker |
| Mone Cavan Pharmacist |
| Sarah Cavan, MSW, LMSW Clinical Social Worker |
| Margaret Cavanagh, PTA Physical Therapy Assistant |
| John Cavanaugh, D.D.S. General Practice Dentistry |
| Azra Cavlovic, ARNP Family Nurse Practitioner |
| Paulene Cay Internal Medicine Physician |
| Meliha Cerimovic, LMSW Clinical Social Worker |
| Alexandra Ceryanec, RD Registered Dietitian |
| Sheryl Chaco Counselor |
| Gladys Chaisson Clinical Social Worker |
Nearby Cities in Iowa
Other Iowa cities with provider coverage in the CMS NPPES registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many doctors are in Des Moines, IA?
What are the most common medical specialties in Des Moines?
Related guides
Explore Iowa
Provider data from CMS NPPES (download.cms.gov/nppes); specialty classification from NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy. PlainDoctor does not rate or rank providers. Methodology · About
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on PlainDoctor is rendered directly from the federal CMS NPPES registry, Medicare Part D, MIPS, and Open Payments records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-20.