172V00000X — Community Health Worker

172V00000X is the NUCC provider taxonomy code for Community Health Worker (individual providers). 46,826 providers in our latest NPPES snapshot list it as their primary taxonomy.

Taxonomy code 172V00000X
Display name Community Health Worker
Grouping Other Service Providers
Classification Community Health Worker
Section Individual
Directory Community Health Worker provider directory

Definition

Community health workers (CHW) are lay members of communities who work either for pay or as volunteers in association with the local health care system in both urban and rural environments and usually share ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status and life experiences with the community members they serve. They have been identified by many titles such as community health advisors, lay health advocates, "promotores(as), outreach educators, community health representatives, peer health promoters, and peer health educators. CHWs offer interpretation and translation services, provide culturally appropriate health education and information, assist people in receiving the care they need, give informal counseling and guidance on health behaviors, advocate for individual and community health needs, and provide some direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. Some examples of these practitioners are Community Health Aides or Practitioners established under 25 USC 1616 (l) under HHS, Indian Health Service, Public Health Service.

Definition from the NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set.

Related taxonomy codes

Frequently asked questions

What does taxonomy code 172V00000X mean?
172V00000X is the NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code for Community Health Worker in the "Other Service Providers" grouping. It classifies individual providers.
Where is the taxonomy code used?
Providers select a taxonomy code when applying for an NPI, and it appears on insurance claims (CMS-1500 box 33b / 837 electronic claims) to identify the provider's classification. Payers may require the taxonomy that matches your credential and license.
How do I find providers with taxonomy 172V00000X?
Browse the Community Health Worker directory, or use the NPI search and filter by state.

Source: CMS NPPES (public data). Snapshot 2026-07-09.