Otolaryngology Coding Alert

You can ensure that benefits for audiologist-performed diagnostic tests will flow seamlessly to your practice this fall if you complete these forms.

You should be able to complete the first portion of the CMS- new filing requirements in a day. Your audiologist can apply for her NPI online in less than 20 minutes, says Debbie Abel, AuD, director of reimbursement for the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) in Reston, Va.

Experienced ENT coders report CMS is pretty fast with returning the results. "We put the request into the computer for NPI numbers for our audiologists, and we got their NPIs back the same day," says Julie Keene, CPC, at University ENT Specialists Inc. in Cincinnati.

After you receive your audiologist's NPI, you can file form 855I to obtain her Provider Identification Number (PIN). You can expect to receive the PIN in about two months, Abel says.

Tip: Exercise caution when choosing a reasonable date to enter as the date you saw your first Medicare patient on page 15 of the 855I, Abel says. "Claims will be backdated to that day."

Medicare considers the number valid, effective on the application date. If you-re up against the October compliance deadline, you can hold claims starting with the application date and submit them with the new NPI when the 855I finishes processing.

You must then complete form 855R to assign benefits to the audiologist's employer, such as an ENT group.

The forms are online at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/cmsforms/downloads/cms855i.pdf and http://www.cms.hhs.gov/cmsforms/downloads/cms855r.pdf.

To apply online for your audiologist's NPI, visit https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/NPPES/Welcome.do.