How to Get an NPI Number for Medical Billing

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 mandated the use of a standard identification for all health care providers. This National Provider Identifier, or NPI, is assigned by the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System. Applications for an NPI can be submitted online.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Social security number (or individual tax ID number if not eligible for an SSN) Provider date of birth Provider gender Practice location address and phone number Taxonomy (provider type) State license information Contact person's name Contact person's phone number and email

1. Gather your information. You will need a Social Security number (or individual tax ID number if not eligible for SSN), name of provider, your date, country and state of birth (if country of birth is U.S.), provider gender, practice address and phone number, taxonomy, state license information, contact person's name, and contact person's phone number and e-mail.

2. Look up provider type taxonomy. You will need a taxonomy number in order to complete the application. You can look up the taxonomy number on the Washington Publishing Company's website. See Resources below for a link to the website.

3. Go to the online application. (See Resources below.) According to the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, an online application should only take 20 minutes.

4. Check on the status of your application. Once you've created a user ID, the NPI status field will show it as "active," "pending" or "deactivated". If your status is active, you can view, modify and change your data. You can also view a printer-friendly version of the application or request an NPI assignment notification. If your status is pending, your application has not been processed. If you have not received your assignment notification via email within 15 days of submission, contact the NPI enumerator at [phone].

5. Submit a paper application. The NPI enumerator can be contacted by phone at [phone] or by email at [e-mail]. You can also reach the enumerator via snail mail at P.O. Box 6059, Fargo, ND 58108-6059.

Tips & Warnings

• Plan on completing the application in one sitting. Applications not completed before submission are not saved.

References

• NPI Application Instructions

Resources

• Health Care Provider Taxonomy Codes