The clock is ticking for physicians to sign up for a National Provider Identifier, the new 10-digit number that will be used by Medicare, Medicaid, and many private health plans to process claims.
The deadline for registering for an NPI number is May 23. Physicians who are not using an NPI number after that date could experience cash flow disruptions, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Most health care plans and all health care clearinghouses must begin using NPIs to process physicians' claims in standard transactions by May 23. Small health care plans have another year to become compliant.
“The NPI is the new standard identifying number for all health care billing transactions, not just for billing Medicare or Medicaid,” said Aaron Hase, a CMS spokesman. As of Jan. 29, more than 1.6 million NPIs had been assigned, according to CMS.
Physicians and other providers can apply for an NPI online or by using a paper application. Hospitals or professional associations can submit applications for several physicians in an electronic file.
A physician who submits a properly completed electronic application could have his or her NPI in 10 days. However, it can take 120 days to do the remaining work to use it, Mr. Hase said.
One thing to be aware of is that you may already have an NPI, because some large employers may have already registered their providers, Mr. Whitman said.
The next question is how widely CMS plans to disseminate the NPIs. CMS officials have said they are considering creating some type of directory of NPIs that could be available to physicians and office staff.
Physicians can apply for an NPI online at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov