Website design By BotEap.comThere is a lot of talk in the medical community about NPI numbers. But what is an NPI number? An NPI number or National Provider Identification Number is a unique identification number for health care providers that will be used by all health plans.

Website design By BotEap.comIt’s all part of the HIPAA Act of 1996. HIPAA requires that a single standard health identifier for health care providers be adopted by May 23, 2007 for use with major health plans. Some smaller providers have until May 23, 2008 to obtain an NPI number. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed the National Provider and Plan Enumeration System (NPPES) to assign these unique identifiers.

Website design By BotEap.comIt is not difficult to obtain an NPI number. One can be obtained by completing an application through the web. The application is quite simple and only takes about 20 minutes. Upon completion of the application, the NPI number will be emailed to the provider. Sometimes they are emailed within 24 hours, and sometimes it takes up to 14 days.

Website design By BotEap.comIf you do not have access to the Internet, or simply prefer not to complete the application online, you may complete a paper copy of the application and submit it by mail. Obviously, this method will take longer for your number to be assigned to you.

Website design By BotEap.comIf you are a health care provider who needs an NPI, your billing manager should be able to request it for you. I own a billing service and we are requesting NPI numbers for all 50+ of our providers. We consider it part of our service.

Website design By BotEap.comThere is a little personal information that is needed about the provider to complete the application. For example, they require the provider’s social security number, date of birth, and city and state of birth. The rest of the required information refers mainly to the provider’s practice.

Website design By BotEap.comI advise you not to wait until the last minute to apply. The closer you get to the May 23, 2007 deadline, the more bogged down the system will be with applications. It’s really not a big deal, so go ahead and apply ASAP!