FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tim Gibbs, MPH
Program Director and Principal Investigator, Delaware Health Force
tgibbs@delamed.org, 302-733-3919
DELAWARE HEALTH FORCE EXPANDS PROVIDER DATA THROUGH CMS AND NPI RECORD INTEGRATION
API-Based Methodology Delivers a Comprehensive, Real-Time Snapshot of Delaware’s Healthcare Provider Landscape
NEWARK, Del., Oct 7, 2026 – The Delaware Academy of Medicine and Public Health (the Academy) and Delaware Health Force (DHF) have partnered with data consultant Eli Turkel, PhD, MPA to build a robust provider data collection tool and process, drawing on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and National Provider Identifier (NPI) records for all Delaware providers. By accessing these datasets through application programming interfaces (APIs), DHF now has the tools to develop and maintain a continuously updated, comprehensive picture of who delivers healthcare across Delaware, with a new focus on providers enrolled as Medicare and Medicaid Providers.
CMS records capture billing and service data for providers participating in federal health programs, while NPI records serve as the national registry of licensed healthcare providers. Together, they offer a layered view of the provider landscape: not just who is credentialed to practice, but who is actively delivering care, in what specialty, and in which communities. For a state like Delaware, where rural and underserved areas face persistent provider shortages, this distinction is critical.
“The CMS and NPI datasets each tell part of the story, but together they give you a full snapshot of a state’s provider landscape. Accessing them through APIs means the data can be refreshed and updated continuously, rather than relying on static snapshots that go stale. For a state like Delaware that is actively working to identify and address provider shortages, that kind of real-time visibility matters,” says Eli Turkel, data consultant and architect of the CMS and NPI integration for DHF.
The integration supports DHF’s broader mission as a public/private partnership with the State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services to identify and address healthcare workforce gaps across the state. With provider-level data now accessible in a structured, updatable format, DHF and its partners are better positioned to identify shortage areas, target recruitment and retention efforts, and develop evidence-based workforce solutions.
“Having a comprehensive picture of who is providing care in Delaware and where is foundational to everything we do. The ability to pull directly from CMS and NPI records means we are working from the most current, wide-ranging provider data available, and that changes what is possible for workforce planning in this state,” says Tim Gibbs, MPH, Program Director and Principal Investigator of DHF.
Access to this data also positions Delaware to respond more effectively to federal designations such as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), which rely on accurate provider counts and distribution data. The CMS and NPI integration aligns DHF’s data infrastructure with national best practices for state-level workforce monitoring and planning.
“We cannot solve a problem we cannot see. This work gives Delaware Health Force and its partners the visibility they need to understand where provider shortages exist, who is most affected, and what targeted solutions are warranted. It is exactly the kind of data infrastructure that a state serious about health equity needs to have,” says Kate Smith, MD, MPH, Executive Director of the Academy.
This work is part of a growing suite of data tools developed by DHF to support statewide workforce planning.
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The Delaware Academy of Medicine and Public Health is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing health and health equity in Delaware through education, research, and community engagement. Delaware Health Force is an initiative of The Academy focused on addressing healthcare workforce shortages across the state. For more information, visit dehealthforce.org or contact Tim Gibbs, MPH at tgibbs@delamed.org.
Eli Turkel, PhD, MPA is a consultant with more than 17 years of experience spanning healthcare, public policy, and data analytics. His expertise in informatics and collaborative research makes him a trusted resource for organizations working to translate complex health data into actionable insight.