Health Information Management

AHA requests clarification, guidance on NPI

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, April 18, 2005

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to HIPAA Weekly Advisor!

Without clear guidance and a central authority to answer questions, the National Provider Identifier (NPI) system will result in significant additional costs to hospitals, according to George Arges, senior director of the American Hospital Association's (AHA) health data management group.

Arges presented his concerns to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics at its hearing on implementation of the NPI.

He told the committee that hospitals need clarification about subpart enumeration and the criteria to consider as they determine whether to apply for this designation. He also outlined a four stage step-up approach to implementation of the NPI:

  1. May 23, 2005-May 22, 2006: Preparation period. Providers acquire NPIs and the enumerator runs progress reports by provider type and establishes a Web board containing FAQs.
  2. May 23, 2006-December 2006: Testing period. Providers test to examine their claims processing systems.
  3. January 2007-May 22, 2007: During this period, providers can send both NPI and legacy ID.
  4. May 23, 2007 forward: Final roll-out, at which point all eligible providers must report only the NPI.

To create a collaborative approach to education and outreach, Arges offered AHA's communication vehicles for use to disseminate all critical information on this topic to the hospital community.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to HIPAA Weekly Advisor!

  • Briefings on APCs

    Worried about the complexities of the new rules under OPPS and APCs? Briefings on APCs helps you understand the new rules...

  • Medical Records Briefing

    Guiding Health Information Management professionals through the continuously changing field of medical records and toward a...

  • Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies

    Submitting improper Medicare documentaion can lead to denial of fees, payback, fines, and increased diligence from payers...

  • Briefings on HIPAA

    How can you minimize the impact of HIPAA? Subscribe to Briefings on HIPAA, your health information management resource for...

  • APCs Weekly Monitor

    This HTML-based e-mail newsletter provides weekly tips and advice on the new ambulatory payment classifications regulations...

Most Popular

Related Articles