Confirm a Physician's Medicare Number
A physician's Medicare number-also known as his National Provider Identifier-is a unique, ten-digit identification number that all healthcare professionals in the U.S. hold for administrative and billing purposes, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Healthcare organizations such as hospitals, clinics and home health companies use a physician's National Provider Identifier to help in processing bills and reimbursements from Medicare. There are three options to confirm a Medicare number.
Instructions
1. Call the physician's office. The simplest way to confirm a physician's Medicare number may be to talk with the administrative or billing staff. A practice administrator, medical biller or business manager can confirm your physician's National Provider Identifier once you make it clear why you need confirmation.
2. Contact your state's home health agency. Many state agencies that regulate home health-such as Florida's Provider Database Search-provide tools to search for physician Medicare numbers or resources to confirm these numbers for billing purposes. Most home health regulatory offices are within a state's department of health. Call your state department of health or visit its website to see if your state offers these tools online.
3. Use Medicare resources to confirm a physician's Medicare number. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services maintains a robust website with information, tools and resources about the National Provider Identifier (NPI), including a tool to search the NPI registry. This tool will allow you to confirm a physician's National Provider Identifier so you will have accurate billing information.
