This page compares two distinct NUCC-taxonomy specialties tracked by the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System: Legal Medicine, which currently counts 1,065 enrolled providers across 51 U.S. states and territories, and Legal Medicine (M.D./D.O.) Physician, with 52 providers across 26 states. Each clinician on these rosters selected a primary NUCC code at NPI enrollment, so the totals measure how many providers self-identify their primary practice as Legal Medicine or Legal Medicine (M.D./D.O.) Physician rather than the total population ever trained or credentialed in either field — dual-certified clinicians show up under whichever code they registered first.

On national volume, Legal Medicine carries the larger provider roster (1,065 vs 52), and Legal Medicine has the wider geographic footprint at 51 states versus 26. The top Legal Medicine concentration sits in New York (145 providers), while Legal Medicine (M.D./D.O.) Physician peaks in California (5). The per-capita columns in the table below normalize each state's raw count against 2023 Census population estimates, which matters because absolute provider counts track population scale first and specialty density second — a small state with a strong training pipeline can out-rank a larger state on per-100K availability.

Use this comparison to understand relative availability, not to judge clinical substitutability — Legal Medicine and Legal Medicine (M.D./D.O.) Physician are distinct specialties with different scopes of practice, training requirements, and conditions they treat, even when their NUCC categories overlap. Important: PlainDoctor is a directory of publicly available CMS government data, not medical advice, a provider rating, or a recommendation about which specialty a patient should consult. Always work with a licensed clinician to determine which specialty is appropriate for your condition, verify any specific provider through the NPPES NPI Registry and the relevant state medical board, and consult the NUCC taxonomy documentation for the formal scope-of-practice definitions behind each specialty code.