Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
Claims Must Be NPI-Only By May, CMS Warns
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May 2008 seemed like a long way off back when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it was delaying the original May 2007 requirement for the National Provider Identifier (NPI) for a year.
But now that May 23 deadline is looming closer, and CMS warns that you absolutely must have the NPI, and only the NPI, in all relevant fields on your claims by that date. That includes the NPI of the referring/ordering /attending/service facility provider, CMS notes in MLN Matters article MM674. Without NPIs in all fields, your claims will be denied.
Don-t furnish services to Medicare beneficiaries unless you already have the NPI of the referring provider, CMS suggests.
Separately, Noridian Administrative Services sent out a notice to providers: The Part B carrier is now verifying valid matches between the NPI and the legacy identifier on claims. If they don't match, Noridian is now denying claims, the carrier warns.
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