In April of 2007, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced guidance for providers, clearinghouses and other entities specifying that electronic transactions may continue without a National Provider Identifier (NPI) for up to one full year after the original compliance date provided a contingency plan was enacted. The date of full compliance for those entities issuing a contingency plan is May 23, 2008.

World Insurance Company is committed to preventing any disruption in customer service and claims processing during the transition to full implementation of the National Provider Identifier. Over the past several months we have been collecting NPI information from providers as well as sharing our implementation plan upon request. We have also been involved in local, state and national NPI discussions, list serves, and seminars.

Since the contingency announcement from CMS, we have been working with our clearinghouses and networks to provide the most customer-friendly approach to accepting transactions both with and without the NPI. The presence or absence of a NPI will not affect claims adjudication. World Insurance Company requires the tax identification number and the billing provider name and address information to insure proper claims adjudication. This requirement will not change as a result of the NPI.

Since NPI’s may not be available on all electronic claims, World Insurance Company Electronic Remittance Advice’s (ERA) will not contain NPI information initially. We will monitor our receipt of NPI’s and will re-evaluate our position on ERA’s later in the contingency period.

World Insurance Company will continue to work with our trading partners to promote the transition to the NPI on HIPAA-defined transactions. We have not yet determined a date when we will no longer accept electronic transactions not containing the NPI; however, the date will not extend past May 23, 2008. We will update this site as new information becomes available.