Merced, California appears in the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System with 2,716 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 Merced - 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 Merced 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 Merced is weighted toward Behavior Technician (327 clinicians, followed by Case Manager/Care Coordinator with 271 and Mental Health Counselor with 173). 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 California's population, Merced reports roughly 7 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.

Within California, Merced ranks #83 of 805 cities tracked by provider count, accounting for 0.3% of the state's registered providers. Of California's most common specialties, Physical Therapist is the most prominent one with no provider currently listing a Merced practice address, a coverage gap Merced patients typically fill by traveling to a larger nearby hub.

For Merced patients, this directory is most useful as a starting shortlist, searching by specialty narrows the 690-taxonomy roster to clinicians with the relevant training, and each provider page links to NPI, state licensing boards, and the NPPES registry for credential verification. 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, so listing details may be out of date; call the practice directly to confirm the provider is still there, accepts your insurance, and is taking new patients. Nothing on this page substitutes for consulting a licensed clinician about your personal health decisions.