Clinical Social Work Practice Tools:
National Provider Identifier

The compliance date  for the National Provider Identifier (NPI) is May 23, 2007.  After this date, clinical social workers should use only NPIs to identify themselves in standard transactions such as claims, referrals, remittance, and eligibility and claim status inquiries and responses.

Implementation for the National Provider Identifier (NPI) begins May 23, 2005. This identifier is a requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and must be used by health care providers including clinical social workers, health plans, health care clearinghouses, and other covered entities that conduct electronic transactions. The compliance date is May 23, 2007. Small health plans have until May 23, 2008 to comply.

The Federal Register, issued on January 23, 2004, released the final rule on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA’S) Standard Unique Health Identifiers for clinical social workers (CSWs) and other health care providers, and announced the adoption of the National Provider Identifier (NPI) as the standard to be used in filing and processing health care claims.