| Effective
September 17 - the NPI/Legacy ID Combinations Must Match
By NHIC, CORP.
|
Members:
CMS
recently announced that contractors should begin editing and rejecting
claims that do not match on the NPI crosswalk file. This essentially
means that any solo incorporated physician (who also needed both
a type I and type II NPI number) should have re-enrolled in the
Medicare program using the 8551 form. If they haven't they wouldn't
know that a problem loomed since they are currently still being
paid on the basis of their legacy (old fashioned) identifier. However,
what this warning means is that if they don't submit the 8551, when
NHIC ceases to accept the old identifier, they won't be in the system
and won't be paid. If they delay submitting until they see the problem,
they may still be paid but it will delay payments quite a long time
causing considerable hardship.
See
full text of letter from NHIC below.
Dr.
Jeffrey Kaufman.
Since
October 2, 2006, providers have been encouraged to submit both the
NPI and Medicare legacy identifier (PIN) on their claims. During
this timeframe providers were not penalized for invalid NPI/legacy
ID combinations.
Effective September 17, 2007, NHIC, Inc. will begin editing the
NPI/legacy ID combinations for validity against the NPI crosswalk
file. Where a match cannot be located on the crosswalk, claims will
be rejected or returned to the provider.
When
the claim is returned, a provider should first verify that the correct
NPI was submitted. If correct, you will need to verify that your
legacy identifier (PIN) number corresponds with the information
on file with the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES).
NPPES data may be checked on line at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov.
If your NPPES information is correct and you have included and matched
ALL Medicare legacy identifiers with a corresponding NPI in NPPES,
but you are experiencing provider identifier problems with your
claims that contain an NPI, you may need to submit a Medicare enrollment
application (i.e., the CMS-855). Please contact Customer Service
at 877-527-6613 if you need more information.
More
information and education on the NPI may be found at the CMS NPI
page, http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalProvIdentStand
on the CMS website. Also, providers can apply for an NPI online
at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov.
If your claims are processing properly with the NPI / Legacy cross-walk,
we urge you to send a small batch of 3-10 claims with the NPI number
only to validate that the cross-walk of the legacy number, formerly
Provider Identification (PIN) or Provider Transaction Access Number
(PTAN), with the NPI is correct. This approach will be helpful in
detecting any NPI problems for the provider without effecting cash
flow.
Thank
you for your assistance in getting the word out about this change.
NHIC,
Corp.
1055 West 7th Street, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90017