NPI
NPI
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 requires the adoption of a
standard unique identifier for health care providers, the National Provider Identifier (NPI). The NPI final
rule issued January 23, 2004, adopted the NPI as this standard. The NPI is 10 digits in length and will replace
health care provider identifiers in use today, including the nine-digit Medi-Cal provider number. To comply with
this requirement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed the National Plan and Provider
Enumeration System (NPPES) to assign these unique identifiers.
NPPES began accepting applications and issuing NPIs on May 23, 2005. All health care providers (e.g.,
physicians, suppliers, hospitals, etc.) are encouraged to obtain their NPI as quickly as possible. A hard copy
application may be requested by contacting the NPPES contractor at 1-800-465-3203 (NPI toll-free). Applications can be
submitted online on the National Provider Identifier page of the NPPES website or
by mail to:
NPI Enumerator
P.O. Box 6059
Fargo, ND 58108-6059
Related Links:
https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov – To apply for an NPI
http://www.wedi.org
– Provider based NPI Workgroups and Analysis (Subparts)
