NPI Numbers Available on the Internet

WASHINGTON–Beginning June 28, providers will have access to the
NPI numbers for their referral sources, CMS said last week.

May 23 was the official deadline to begin use of the new
national provider identification numbers, a system that replaces
all other identifiers for health care providers.

In several national roundtable calls on the NPI, providers had
asked for a registry of the numbers in order to submit
HIPAA-compliant claims, for which they need the numbers of
physicians and other referral sources. In response, it will make
“[National Plan and Provider Enumeration System] health care
provider data available on the Internet,” CMS said in a notice
published in the May 30 Federal Register.

The data, which will disclose only information obtainable
through the Freedom of Information Act, will be available in
downloadable files and in a query-only database. Users will be able
to query by NPI or provider name to access the information, and
data will be updated monthly, according to the notice.

The notice also encouraged health care providers who have been
assigned NPIs to review their NPPES and make any changes before
June 28. It also reminded providers that they are required to
update their data within 30 days of any change.

In addition, CMS said that providers could delete any NPPES data
that was not required in order to obtain an NPI if they prefer that
information not to be disclosed.

Meanwhile, new FAQs regarding the data dissemination, including
just what information will be disclosed, along with a tip sheet on
compliance, have been posted at www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalProvidentStand.

To aid with questions regarding the data dissemination, CMS has
also scheduled a national roundtable from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET on June
14. Registration information will be available soon, the agency
said.

Although CMS has announced contingency plans for non-compliance,
it has cautioned that as soon as the number of claims submitted
with an NPI is sufficient, Medicare could begin rejecting claims
without the identifier possibly as early as July (see HomeCare Monday, May 7).

Click here to read the entire Federal
Register notice.