If you want to use the Common Working File, soon you’ll need to undergo verification of the National Provider Identifier (NPI) and Submitter Identification (ID), Medicare says in Change Request (CR) 10983. The requirement is similar to the HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS) “when Medicare Part A providers request Medicare beneficiary eligibility and entitlement data via the CWF provider inquiry screens,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in the transmittal at www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM10983.pdf. “The CWF host will verify the status of the NPI and the Submitter ID against information provided by the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) and HETS, respectively,” CMS explains. The new requirements will take effect April 1, 2019, for NPI Verification and July 1, 2019, for Submitter ID Verification.