Anticlue

NPI TRANSITION PLANS

CMS has announced the following plans for transitioning to the National Provider Identifier (NPI) in the fee-for-service Medicare program:

From May 23, 2005, to October 1, 2006, CMS's claims processing systems will accept either an existing legacy Medicare number and or an NPI that is accompanied by an existing legacy Medicare number.

From October 2, 2006, through May 22, 2007, CMS systems will accept an existing legacy Medicare number and/or an NPI. This will allow for six to seven months of provider testing before only an NPI will be accepted by the Medicare program.

Beginning May 23, 2007, CMS systems will only accept an NPI.