reminds me of other reading from today. You can get a US National (healthcare) Provider Identifier (NPI) without any verification:

> @Aetna @Cigna @UHC 27/ Medicare officials declined to be interviewed about Williams. But in a statement, they acknowledged that the agency doesn’t verify whether an NPI applicant is a medical provider or has a criminal history.

https://twitter.com/marshall_allen/status/115224361495057612...

> @Aetna @Cigna @UHC 16/ He kept getting new NPIs. For every application, Williams also obtained a new employer identification number, used for tax purposes.

But he never hid who he was, using his real name, address and phone number on the applications.

Medicare gave him 20 NPIs! https://twitter.com/marshall_allen/status/115224148431540633...

edited: provided the NPI meaning.