Objectives. To address low adolescent HPV vaccination rates, the President's Cancer Panel called for increasing communication to reduce missed vaccination opportunities. Therefore, we examined the association between receiving a provider recommendation for the HPV vaccine and subsequent initiation of the HPV vaccine series between ages 13-17. Furthermore, we sought to identify important subgroups less likely to receive recommendations. Methods. We analyzed provider-verified HPV vaccine initiation as reported in the CDC's 2014 National Immunization Survey for Teens (unweighted n =19,338). Survey-weighted log-binomial regression models assessed prevalence ratios of vaccination among teens whose parents reported receiving a recommendation compared to those who did not. Chi-square analyses identified differences in groups with/without provider recommendation. Results. Overall, teens who received a provider recommendation were more likely to initiate vaccination compared those missing this communication (PR:2.66; 95% CI:2.43-2.91). Females with recommendation were twice as likely to vaccinate (PR:1.93; 95% CI:1.72-2.17), and males with recommendation were three times more likely (PR:3.29; 95% CI:2.88-3.76), although less males received recommendations (53% vs. 74% in females). In addition, teens in Southern states and those without an 11/12-year-old wellness exam were less likely to receive a recommendation. Conclusions. Provider recommendation is significantly associated with teen initiation of the HPV vaccine. Encouraging providers to share clear, timely recommendations is a simple and cost-effective intervention to improve vaccination rates among adolescents in the U.S. Intervention efforts can be targeted to subgroups we have identified as less likely to have received such recommendations, including males and teens in the South, to improve nationwide vaccination rates.