NPPES file of Aug 9, 2026

Doctors and health care providers in Iowa

48,880 individual NPPES records list a practice address in Iowa, 1,524 per 100,000 residents, below the 2,176 across the 50 states and D.C.; records with an MD or DO credential: 310 per 100,000, against 375 nationally. Licenses are checked on the Iowa Board of Medicine search.

CMS NPPES registry, file of Aug 9, 2026; HHS-OIG LEIE of Sep 10, 2026; 2023 Census estimates · method

Written with AI tools from the named public files; every figure is computed from those files (how it is made).
Iowa license search Iowa Board of Medicine: the official search for a license's status and public orders. Open the Iowa license search

Family Medicine is Iowa's largest physician specialty

10,605 records in Iowa list a physician taxonomy (allopathic or osteopathic, NUCC 207 and 208) as their primary type. The eight largest specialties, each linked to its Iowa list:

  1. Family Medicine2,336
  2. Internal Medicine871
  3. Anesthesiology569
  4. Emergency Medicine509
  5. Pediatrics502
  6. Surgery437
  7. Psychiatry398
  8. Diagnostic Radiology364

Source: CMS NPPES flagged primary taxonomy, physician codes 207 and 208, file of Aug 9, 2026.

Across every provider type, Pharmacist is the largest group

  1. Pharmacist3,179
  2. Physical Therapist2,671
  3. Mental Health Counselor2,567
  4. Family Medicine Physician2,336
  5. Clinical Social Worker2,170
  6. Chiropractor2,019
  7. Family Nurse Practitioner1,971
  8. Physician Assistant1,525

Iowa City has the most records

  1. Iowa City7,163
  2. Des Moines5,538
  3. Cedar Rapids2,949
  4. West Des Moines2,201
  5. Davenport2,058
  6. Waterloo1,512
  7. Sioux City1,486
  8. Dubuque1,468

Source: CMS NPPES primary taxonomy and practice city, file of Aug 9, 2026.

1,127 Iowa entries on the federal exclusion list

35.1 per 100,000 residents, against 25 for the 50 states and D.C. The most common reason in Iowa: license revoked, suspended or surrendered. Excluded people and businesses cannot bill Medicare or Medicaid. How to check a provider →

  1. License revoked, suspended or surrendered338
  2. Conviction for a program-related crime283
  3. Conviction for patient abuse or neglect232
  4. Felony conviction for health care fraud135
  5. Felony conviction for a controlled substance58

Source: HHS-OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE), file of Sep 10, 2026 (oig.hhs.gov), entries with a Iowa address, five most common authorities.

The 30 Iowa cities with the most records

  1. Iowa City7,163
  2. Des Moines5,538
  3. Cedar Rapids2,949
  4. West Des Moines2,201
  5. Davenport2,058
  6. Waterloo1,512
  7. Sioux City1,486
  8. Dubuque1,468
  9. Ames1,249
  10. Ankeny1,198
  11. Council Bluffs1,028
  12. Mason City866
  13. Bettendorf761
  14. Coralville708
  15. Urbandale648
  16. Cedar Falls633
  17. Clive627
  18. Johnston524
  19. Fort Dodge522
  20. Clinton507
  21. Marshalltown443
  22. Ottumwa405
  23. Muscatine346
  24. Spencer346
  25. North Liberty343
  26. Waverly343
  27. Hiawatha337
  28. Pella318
  29. Altoona283
  30. Decorah282

Common questions

How many healthcare providers are in Iowa?

48,880 individual NPPES records list a practice address in Iowa, under 470 provider taxonomy codes. A record is a registration, not a license: it includes clinicians, technicians and students in training.

What is the most common physician specialty in Iowa?

Family Medicine, with 2,336 records, followed by internal medicine (871). Across every provider type the largest group is Pharmacist (3,179 records).

How do I find a doctor in Iowa?

Open a physician specialty above for its Iowa list and its cities, or search a name or NPI with the state set to IA. PlainDoctor does not filter by insurance or rate doctors; check the license on the state board before booking.

The largest states

  1. California974,315
  2. New York545,291
  3. Florida470,495
  4. Texas433,013
  5. Ohio327,042

All states →

Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), file of Aug 9, 2026 (NPPES files on CMS.gov); 2023 Census population estimates. Records are self-reported registrations, not licenses; PlainDoctor does not rate or recommend providers; its rankings sort billing figures, not quality.

Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of Aug 9, 2026.