Updated March 28, 2007

Less than two months remain until the National Provider Identifier (NPI) compliance date of May 23, 2007. For Medi-Cal, the implementation of NPI will take place on November 26, 2007.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has reported that as of March 26, 2007, 170,394 individual and 40,692 organizational providers in California have been issued NPIs; of these, only 30,447 Medi-Cal providers (out of approximately 152,000) have registered their NPIs with Medi-Cal. Beginning November 26, 2007, claims submitted without an NPI will be denied.

Act Now!
Don't procrastinate. Getting your NPI is just the first step in preparing for the compliance date. You should allow time to share your NPI with anyone you submit claims to and with colleagues who need it to submit their claims. Medi-Cal and Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) providers should register their NPIs with Medi-Cal by May 23, 2007 to ensure uninterrupted claim payments.

Resources for Commonly Asked Questions
To view a list of resources that will help answer many questions about NPI, visit the NPI area of CMS Web site and click "Questions." CMS also continues to update the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on NPI, which can be viewed by clicking “Educational Resources” and then “Frequently Asked Questions.”

Getting an NPI is free – not having one can be costly.