Old physician ID numbers are still OK for now, Medicare says ...

 

 Washington -- The government will allow physicians who are not yet able to use their National Provider Identifiers on Medicare claims to use their old ID numbers for part of the next 12 months, but officials could pull the plug on this extension at any time.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last month decided to implement a contingency plan when federal officials determined that not enough physicians, hospitals and other Medicare participants would be able to start using their NPIs on claims by the May 23 deadline. The new identifier will replace any existing IDs that doctors have used to bill the federal government or private insurers electronically.

Source: AMNews: May 14, 2007. Old physician ID numbers are still OK for now, Medicare says ... American Medical News