Online Registration Open for 10th Annual Leadership Academy, April 13-15 in Monterey; Sign Up by March 16 and Get $100 Off Registration

NPI Deadlines Looming: Are You Ready?
[Posted 01/25/07]

For More Information

Physicians Must Register NPIs with Medi-Cal by March 1 to Prevent Cash Flow Disruption
[Posted 12/21/06]

Officials Expect Last Minute Rush on NPIs; Physicians Urged to Submit Applications Immediately
[Posted 11/30/06]

Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute to Get Your National Provider ID
[Posted 06/08/06]

More information on NPIs is available in CMA ON-CALL document #1608, “National Provider Identification Numbers.” ON-CALL documents are free to members at CMA’s members-only website. Nonmembers can purchase ON-CALL documents for $2 per page in the CMA bookstore.

In less than four months, physicians who are covered by HIPAA will be required by federal law to use their new National Provider Identifier (NPI) on claims and other electronic health care transactions. NPIs will replace UPINs and other payor-specific provider identification numbers.

Physicians must also register their NPIs with Medi-Cal by March 1 to ensure that their payments are not interrupted when Medi-Cal transitions from its current provider numbering system to the NPI system on May 23. To make sure you get your NPI in time, you should submit your application as soon as possible.

Applying for an NPI is fairly simple. Physicians can apply online at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov. If you do not have Internet access, call the NPI Enumerator at 800/465-3203 and request a paper application form.

While applying for an NPI is straightforward, making sure your billing systems and vendors are ready for the transition is a more complicated process, one that requires some preparation and internal assessment. CMA’s HIPAA partner, PrivaPlan, has developed an inexpensive CD-ROM toolkit to help physicians navigate the process.

If you haven’t investigated it, you should give it a look. The toolkit will help physicians understand their NPI “readiness” and the impact the NPI may have on their practices. It also provides form letters and surveys to send to your major system vendors, clearinghouses, and health plans, to determine their NPI readiness.

CMA members can purchase the toolkit for $99. CMA members who have purchased PrivaPlan’s other HIPAA toolkits pay $79. Nonmembers pay $129. Order the toolkit by calling 877/218-7707.

CMA’s legal department has also written a primer to help physicians with the NPI process. The primer, available through the CMA ON-CALL system, is available free to members at the members-only website. See document #1608, “National Provider Identifiers.” Nonmembers can purchase ON-CALL documents for $2 per page in the CMA bookstore.

Contact: CMA’s legal information line, 415/882-5144 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.

SEE YOUR AD HERE