Important NPI Information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
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CMS Publishes National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) Data Dissemination Notice
On May 30, 2007, CMS published the Data Dissemination Notice in the Federal Register. The final copy of the notice is posted on the
CMS NPI Web site (PDF, 61 KB).
New Data Dissemination FAQs Available
CMS has posted new FAQs related to the recently published Data Dissemination Notice. Questions include:
- Where is the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) data dissemination policy conveyed?
- What National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) data will CMS disclose?
- How will CMS make the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)-disclosable National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) data available?
- Is there a charge to obtain the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)-disclosable National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) health care provider data?
- I want Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)-disclosable data for only the physicians in New York and I want the data on a CD. How do I go about having my request fulfilled?
- When will the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)-disclosable National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) health care provider data be available?
To view these FAQs, you should:
1) Go to the CMS dedicated NPI Web page
2) Scroll down to the section that says 'Related Links Inside CMS'
3) Click on NPI Frequently Asked Questions. To find the latest FAQs, click on the arrows next to 'Date Updated'. Look for the word 'NEW' in red font to appear beside the most recent FAQs.
CMS Discontinues the Unique Physician Identifier Number (UPIN) Registry
Effective June 29, 2007, CMS will discontinue assigning UPINs to Medicare providers. For further details, visit the Change Request (PDF, 13 KB) on this subject and the associated MLN Matters article on the CMS Web site (PDF, 102 KB).
As always, more information and education on the NPI may be found at the CMS NPI page www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalProvIdentStand on the CMS Web site.
Providers/Suppliers may apply for an NPI online at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov or may call the NPI enumerator to request a paper application at (800) 465-3203.
Getting an NPI is free and not having one can be costly.