Trying to look up your docs' NPIs? You may have to get creative about when to accomplish the task. "We have been experiencing some latency and performance issues with the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) system during peak hours," CMS admits in a message to providers. "As a result, the National Provider Ident-ifier (NPI) Registry has been down for maintenance." Suggestion: "As we attempt to resolve this issue, we suggest that users search the NPI Registry during off-peak hours (e.g., after normal business hours), or users can access the monthly NPPES downloadable file that is available at any time." More information is at www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/HIPAA-AdministrativeSimplification/NationalProvIdentStand/DataDissemination.html.