Electronic File Interchange

On May 1, 2006, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the revised CMS 855 Medicare provider enrollment applications. As part of the revised enrollment process, initial enrollees and existing enrollees making changes to their enrollment information must include their National Provider Identifier (NPI) number and a copy of the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) NPI notification with the enrollment application. No initial application can be approved and no updates to existing enrollment information can be made without this NPI information. All health care providers and suppliers who bill Medicare are required to obtain their NPI in advance of enrolling in or changing their Medicare enrollment data.