Did you know that you can easily find National Provider Identification (NPI) numbers online? This can be important not only to ensure that your NPI information is accurate and up to date, but also to find your referral source's NPI number for your medical claim forms!
In box #17 of the CMS1500 medical claim form, you can provide the referring/ordering doctor's name, and in box #17b the NPI. Some insurers will require both be present in order to process your medical claim for certain services. (for example, Medicare DME requires both be present when billing for oral appliances for Obstructive Sleep Apnea).
To easily search NPI numbers online:
There are a few sources to search NPI numbers online, two suggested sources are:
In the example below, we'll use the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) site:
Simply type in the providers first name and last name, and entering the state is recommend if it is a common name to narrow your search results, (or enter the organization name if you are searching a Type II NPI) then click the search button:
The search results will show, and you can simply copy and paste the NPI number showing on the left hand side into your DentalWriter software (it is recommended you store the NPI number in your contacts list for referring providers, because DentalWriter will automatically place the doctor's name and NPI number onto the claim for you when utilizing your contacts list!):
You can even view more details for the NPI number by clicking on the NPI itself, which will display additional information such as the last time it was updated, address, phone, fax, taxonomy number, and license numbers!:
In your DentalWriter contacts list, the NPI can be entered in the field shown below:
In your patient questionnaire in any visit/form in DentalWriter, if the referring doctor is selected from your contacts list for the "referring physician" field shown below, that doctor's name and NPI will appear in box #17 of your medical claim form when generated for that visit:
