Provider ID system promises smoother service
June 1, 1998 3 minutes read
Provider ID system promises smoother service
It's been a long time coming, and implementation will be longer yet, but the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that every health care provider - doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and others - will be assigned a unique alphanumeric provider identification number (PIN) to be used in filing claims with public and private insurance programs.
The proposed rule was published in the May 7 Federal Register. Official implementation is 24 months after the final rule's effective date.
Along with these PINs, HHS also has proposed new regulations establishing a standard format for the submission of electronic claims.
"These are important steps toward a faster, simpler, less costly, and more efficient health care system," says HHS secretary Donna Shalala.
Currently, health care providers are assigned different identification numbers by private health plans, hospitals, nursing homes, and such public programs as Medicare and Medicaid.
The proposed HHS rules are part of the administrative simplification called for in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. By greater use of electronic transactions and elimination of inefficient paper forms, the regulations are expected to save at least $1.5 billion over the first five years of implementation, says HHS.
Under the provider ID proposal, health care providers would apply for an eight-character identifier to be used whenever processing claims electronically. Providers would apply for that identifier only once and would keep it when they move from one state to another, or if they change specialties.
Under the second proposal, every health care provider would be able to use a single standard electronic format to bill for services rendered. All health plans would be required to accept these standard electronic claims. Currently, different insurers use different electronic and paper claims forms, creating a confusing system for health care providers and taking time away from patients.
ANSI ASC X12N 837 is the electronic transmittal standard being proposed by HHS/HCFA. Meanwhile, HCFA says it plans to continue using CPT-4, ICD-9-CM and HCPCS codes until the year 2000, at least. After that, it wants to use the more precise 11-digit NDC codes created by the Food and Drug Administration.
The electronic claims proposal also includes new standards for other transactions and for reporting diagnoses and procedures in the transactions. Health plans will be able to pay provi ders, authorize services, certify referrals, and coordinate benefits using a standard electronic format for each transaction. Providers will be able to inquire electronically about whether a patient has insurance coverage or about the status of a claim, or to request authorizations for services or referrals.
Employers who provide health insurance to employees and their dependents also will be able to use a standard electronic format to enroll or disenroll employees and to make premium payments to any health plan with which they do business.
"These efforts will help more providers move from paper to electronic transactions," says Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, administrator of HCFA. "This will make information exchange more efficient and accurate, and result in better service for consumers."
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