Information on NPI and the Revised CMS 855 Medicare Provider Enrollment Applications
On May 1, 2006, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the revised CMS 855 Medicare provider enrollment applications. As part of the revised enrollment process, initial enrollees and existing enrollees making changes to their enrollment information must include their National Provider Identifier (NPI) number and a copy of the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) NPI notification with the enrollment application. No initial application can be approved and no updates to existing enrollment information can be made without this NPI information. All health care providers and suppliers who bill Medicare are required to obtain their NPI in advance of enrolling in or changing their Medicare enrollment data.
If you are an individual or sole proprietor, who furnishes health care, you are eligible for one and only one NPI. If you are an individual who is a health care provider and who is incorporated, you may need to obtain an NPI for yourself and an NPI for your corporation or LLC. If you are an organization that furnishes health care, you may determine that you have components, called "subparts," that need their own NPI. For additional information about the NPI, please go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalProvIdentStand/. 
If you have not yet obtained your NPI number, CMS encourages you to do so soon even if you are not enrolling or making a change to your Medicare enrollment information. An information sheet designed to provide basic information about the NPI, including the three different ways to apply for your NPI is available by clicking here 
. Whatever method you use to obtain your NPI, be sure to keep this information, share it with your health care partners, and update your information with NPPES whenever any of the information used to get your NPI changes.
Starting May 23, 2007, the NPI will replace all of your existing provider numbers that you use to bill Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care payers. Although this date is still a year away, you should begin sharing this information with Medicare, other payers, and your other health care partners in order to make the transition to NPI as smooth as possible. For more information about the revised provider enrollment process, please contact your Medicare contractor or go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll.
Page Last Updated: Thursday, 18-Mar-2010 05:56:17 CDT
