Applying for an NPI

The National Provider Identifier (NPI) replaces most other numbers currently used to identify provider organizations and individual practitioners on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant health care transactions.

The standardization made possible by NPI and the HIPAA Health Care Provider Taxonomy Code Set will help payers reimburse providers for the correct service, for the right payment amount, and in a timely manner. We therefore ask all of our providers to bill with both NPIs and taxonomy codes whenever they apply.

There are two ways to obtain a national provider identifier (NPI) — as an individual and as an entity.

Apply individually

Providers can apply for an NPI by completing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) online application. Providers may also request a paper application from the NPI Enumerator in the following ways:
By phone: 1-800-465-3203 or TTY 1-800-692-2326
By email: customerservice@npienumerator.com
By mail:
NPI Enumerator
P.O. Box 6059
Fargo, ND 58108-6059

Once a provider receives an NPI, he or she is responsible for updating the associated information which is stored in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) and for appropriately sharing NPI information for purposes of administering health care.

Apply as an entity

An organization can apply with CMS to become a bulk enumerator in order to request NPIs for affiliated practitioners. A practitioner must give permission to the bulk enumerator to obtain an NPI on his or her behalf and to share the information to administer health care.

The organization is then responsible for maintaining the NPIs of its practitioners and all related information until the relationship with the practitioner ends.