Optometry Coding & Billing Alert
Watch for Searchable NPI Database
Question: There's so much information out there about using NPIs, but I haven't been able to find anything on how I can find other providers- NPIs. Is there going to be an easy way? Answer: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finally answered this very question, which has been on providers- and coders- minds since the start of the National Provider Identifier (NPI) discussions. On May 30, in the Federal Register, CMS published a notice explaining that there will be a searchable database that you can use to look up NPIs.
North Dakota Subscriber
Good news: According to the CMS, you can download a file from the Web by the end of June that contains the NPI information. You won't have to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to do it. You-ll also have access to a -query-only- database, where you can search NPI numbers according to the provider name or the actual NPI number itself.
Bonuses: CMS is planning to provide monthly updates to the information in the database. Plus, you won't have to pay a fee to search or use the database.
You can view the entire notice at the CMS Web site www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalProvIdentStand/Downloads/DataDisseminationNPI.pdf.
Optometry Coding & Billing Alert
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