If you're having trouble getting your referring physicians' National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers,don't despair. CMS has given providers a work-around when they just can't obtain NPIs from their referring docs,according to Jan. 18 Transmittal No. 235 (CR 5890). "After several attempts to obtain the NPI" from the ordering/referring provider, providers "can report their own name and NPI in the ordering/referring ... provider fields of the claims," CMS said in the memo. "Contractors shall accept the supplier's own name and NPI in the ordering/referring ... provider fields, effective for claims with dates of receipt on or after May 23, 2008," CMS states. But you'll have to do the substituting yourself --Medicare contractors won't automatically fill the field with the primary provider's NPI, the memo says. And CMS still expects providers to make every effort to obtain NPIs, it makes clear in a related MLN Matters article. Resource: The memo is at www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/ R235PI.pdf. The MLN Matters article is at www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM5890.pdf.