Groups representing a cross-section of providers have formally asked the government to delay enforcing use of the national provider identifier on claims forms, concerned that technical problems will interfere with their ability to collect on claims. Groups like the American Hospital Association say that if CMS begins enforcement, many providers will end up snarled in procedural problems and suffer significant cash flow pains.
Among the key worries for many providers is an announcement by CMS that it couldn't match a healthcare organization's NPI with multiple legacy numbers. To fix the problem, CMS has advised providers to get NPIs for each of their subparts. But providers are worried that this additional layer of complexity will lead to a flood of problems--and will result in high claims rejection rates. This particularly is the case given that Medicaid programs typically want providers to use only one NPI.
If the government agrees to grant the groups' request, it would be the second such delay, as CMS already has delayed enforcing NPI use by one year. As things stand, providers face a May 23 deadline.
To learn more about the NPI deadline challenge:
- read this Healthcare Finance News article
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