Taxonomy code 163W00000X: Registered Nurse

163W00000X is the NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code for Registered Nurse, in the group Nursing Service Providers. It is one of the codes a provider lists on the NPI application to tell CMS and payers what they do.

Code

163W00000X

Grouping

Nursing Service Providers

Classification

Registered Nurse

Section

Individual

NUCC version

26.1

Definition

(1) A registered nurse is a person qualified by graduation from an accredited nursing school (depending upon schooling, a registered nurse may receive either a diploma from a hospital program, an associate degree in nursing (A.D.N.) or a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (B.S.N.), who is licensed or certified by the state, and is practicing within the scope of that license or certification. R.N.'s assist patient in recovering and maintaining their physical or mental health. They assist physicians during treatments and examinations and administer medications. (2) A provider who is trained and educated in a formal nursing education program at an accredited school of nursing, passes a national certification examination, and is licensed by the state to practice nursing. The individual provides nursing services to patients or clients in areas such as health promotion, disease prevention, acute and chronic care and restoration and maintenance of health across the life span.

NUCC notes: Sources: (2) American Nurses Association, American Nurses Credentialing Center, 1996 Certification Catalogue, and Rhea, Ott, and Shafritz, The Facts On File Dictionary of Health Care Management, New York: Facts On File Publications, 1988.

Who uses this code

Registered nurses (the usual code)

Get an NPI with this taxonomy

Two free ways. SimpleNPI files the application for you with 163W00000X entered from your license type; the NPI usually arrives by email and text, with all the documentation, within 10 minutes. Or apply yourself at nppes.cms.hhs.gov and type the code into the taxonomy field. First, check the free registry in case you already have an NPI.

Option 1 · Free · Easiest

SimpleNPI files it for you

One short form: name, license, contact, address, identity and an e-signed authorization. About 3 minutes, no CMS account to create.
A person checks your license and address, then files the application with CMS under your signed authorization.
Your NPI arrives by email and text, with all the documentation, usually within 10 minutes. Filed after midnight Eastern? It issues around 6 am Eastern.

Usually within 10 minutes after the form is complete.

Start the free application

Option 2 · Free

Apply yourself at NPPES

Create an Identity & Access account at nppes.cms.hhs.gov.
Choose Apply for an NPI for myself, Individual (Type 1).
Enter identity, addresses, taxonomy code and license number, then certify and submit.

Usually a few business days; often minutes when the Social Security match passes.

Go to NPPES

Related codes in Registered Nurse

Code	Name
`163WA0400X`	Registered Nurse, Addiction (Substance Use Disorder)
`163WA2000X`	Registered Nurse, Administrator
`163WP2201X`	Registered Nurse, Ambulatory Care
`163WC3500X`	Registered Nurse, Cardiac Rehabilitation
`163WC0400X`	Registered Nurse, Case Management
`163WC1400X`	Registered Nurse, College Health
`163WC1500X`	Registered Nurse, Community Health
`163WC2100X`	Registered Nurse, Continence Care
`163WC1600X`	Registered Nurse, Continuing Education/Staff Development
`163WC0200X`	Registered Nurse, Critical Care Medicine
`163WD0400X`	Registered Nurse, Diabetes Educator
`163WD1100X`	Registered Nurse, Dialysis, Peritoneal

Questions

Is 163W00000X the right taxonomy code for a registered nurse?

Yes. 163W00000X, Registered Nurse, is the code SimpleNPI files for registered nurses. Related codes some choose instead: 163WP0808X (Psychiatric/Mental Health Registered Nurse), 164W00000X (Licensed Practical Nurse).

Can I change my taxonomy code later?

Yes, for free, in your NPPES account. Add the new code with its license, make it primary, and remove the old one if it no longer applies. The NPI itself never changes.

Does 163W00000X have to match my license?

It should describe the profession your license covers. Payers compare the taxonomy with the license during credentialing, and a mismatch slows that down.

Written by Ammon Hardin, LMT, who grew a massage practice to ten locations, built a veteran therapy network, and credentialed a large number of providers along the way. Updated Tue Oct 27, 2026. Free to read, free to use; SimpleNPI files NPI applications for free.