Healthcare Insights
Top 15 taxonomies for oncology claims-based specialists
In September 2021, we launched claims-based specialty designations to allow you to target healthcare providers based on their specific areas of focus with a greater degree of accuracy and precision.
What is a claims-based specialty?
Claims-based specialty designations are a form of healthcare commercial intelligence available in our PhysicianView product.
Claims-based specialty data look at providers’ care practice patterns to provide a more accurate representation of their specialty based on the type of patients they see and the procedures they perform.
This designation differs from the traditional taxonomy code associated with a physician’s National Provider Identifier (NPI).
What is a taxonomy code?
A taxonomy code is a 10-digit unique code that designates a provider’s classification and specialization. Providers use this code when they apply for an NPI. Taxonomy-based designations are used frequently to determine a provider’s specialty.
Taxonomy codes are self-reported by providers and may not accurately reflect the procedures performed or patients diagnosed.
As a provider continues to train, specialize or even branch into other focus areas, their taxonomy code may not change to reflect that journey.
To highlight the value of claims-based specialty data, here are the top recorded taxonomies associated with oncology claims-based specialists:
15 most common primary specialty taxonomy for oncology claims-based specialists
| Rank | Primary taxonomy-based specialty | Number of providers | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internal Medicine | 705 | Explore |
| 2 | Hematology | 395 | Explore |
| 3 | Other | 169 | Explore |
| 4 | Nurse - Nurse Practitioner | 88 | Explore |
| 5 | Pediatric Medicine | 39 | Explore |
| 6 | Hospice and Palliative Care | 33 | Explore |
| 7 | Hospitalist | 23 | Explore |
| 8 | Obstetrics/Gynecology | 14 | Explore |
| 9 | Infectious Disease | 10 | Explore |
| 10 | Physician Assitant | 8 | Explore |
| 11 | Radiology - Radiation Oncology | 8 | Explore |
| 12 | General Practice | 7 | Explore |
| 13 | Neurology | 7 | Explore |
| 14 | Family Practice | 5 | Explore |
| 15 | Surgery - Surgical Oncology | 5 | Explore |
Fig 1. Data from Definitive Healthcare PhysicianView product. Data looks at the top taxonomy-based primary specialty outside of oncology for providers with a claims-based specialty of oncology. Claims-based specialty is a proprietary designation from Definitive Healthcare. Data is sourced from proprietary research, the NPI registry and Physician Compare. Data accurate as of February 2022.
1,551 providers with a claims-based oncology specialty do not have the same taxonomy-based specialty
Over 13,600 physicians have a claims-based specialty for oncology, indicating that it is the provider’s primary specialty based on the procedures and patients they see. Of those providers, 1,551 providers have a taxonomy-based specialty outside of oncology.
Top non-oncology taxonomies for providers with an oncology claims-based specialty
The majority of the 1,551 providers with a different taxonomy designation from their claims-based specialty designation have a primary specialty of internal medicine.
Internal medicine is a broad specialty, and many providers may choose to complete a fellowship to subspecialize further after they begin practicing. Oncology is one of the popular subspecialties that internal medicine providers may focus on, which may account for it taking the top spot.
Hematology took second place as the primary taxonomy-based specialty for providers with a claims-based oncology specialty. As hematologists tend to work closely with oncologists for leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-based cancers, it makes sense to see them at the top.
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