Are You On the Updated Report of Providers Missing Digital Contact Information? The CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) Public Reporting of Missing Digital Contact Information has been updated. The report includes the names and National Provider Identifiers (NPIs) of providers who did not update their digital contact information (endpoints) in NPPES as of March 31, 2022. Are you on the list? If so, take action to add your digital contact information to NPPES now! Endpoints allow you to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to trusted recipients securely over the internet. Health care organizations that want to exchange electronic health information need accurate information about the electronic addresses of potential exchange partners. You can still enter endpoints in NPPES (instructions begin on slide 29) and organizations can also upload new or updated data elements in bulk format for their providers through the NPPES Electronic File Interchange (EFI) process. Providers who add endpoint information after March 2022 will be removed from the list in the next quarterly update planned for early July 2022. CMS finalized the policy to publicly report the names and NPIs of those providers or clinicians whose endpoints are not in NPPES in the May 2020 CMS Interoperability and Patient Access final rule. For more information, click on the links below: Beginning in 2021, CMS began publicly reporting the names and NPIs (National Provider Identifier) of providers or clinicians who did not have digital contact information (or endpoints) included in the National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Digital endpoints provide a simple, secure, scalable, and standards-based way for participants to send health information over the internet. |
| | What is a digital endpoint or digital contact information? Digital contact information (or endpoints) provides a secure way for health care entities, including providers and hospitals, to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the internet. Health care organizations need accurate information about the electronic addresses of potential exchange partners to facilitate health information exchange. |
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Policy Requirements CMS finalized the policy to publicly report the names and NPIs of providers or clinicians who do not have digital contact information included in NPPES through the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access final rule1. What Types of digital endpoints can be entered into NPPES? In NPPES, digital endpoint types can include Direct Messaging Address, SOAP URL, FHIR URL, RESTful URL, CONNECT URL, or Other URL. What is a Direct address? A Direct address is used to exchange health information using Direct Secure Messaging. Direct addresses look like but are not the same as an e-mail address. A traditional e-mail address will not function correctly as a Direct address. Where can I review and verify my digital contact information in NPPES? Providers may review and confirm their digital contact information in several web locations, including: the NPPES NPI Registry, the NPPES NPI registry API, or the NPPES Data dissemination file. How can I update my digital contact information in NPPES? To update your digital contact information, providers will need to provide the following: Endpoint Type, Endpoint, Endpoint Location, Is the Endpoint affiliated to another organization? Affiliation Legal Business Name (LBN) when Endpoint is affiliated to another organization. See additional information on how to update digital contact information in NPPES starting on slide 29. For assistance updating digital contact information in NPPES or with the bulk upload EFI feature, please reach out to the enumerator help desk at 1-800-465-3203 (NPI Toll-Free) for assistance Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm (Eastern Time) or anytime at [email protected]. What if a provider or clinician practices at multiple locations? NPPES allows providers or clinicians to add multiple digital contacts for multiple practice locations. Endpoints should be associated with a practice location listed with the NPI. Do hospital-based medical professional need to have a digital contact listed in NPPES? Hospital-based providers or clinicians are included in this policy of public reporting of missing digital contact information in NPPES. Providers or clinicians who work for hospitals or facilities may choose to use their own digital contact or that of the hospital or facility by whom they are employed. See other questions in this document about the bulk data upload process for large organizations, including hospitals. Is it possible for a provider practice to maintain one digital contact to accommodate the transfer of electronic health information for all of the practitioners providing services within the group? It is possible for a provider practice to maintain one digital contact. However, the practice may need to implement workflows to accommodate a process for accurately transferring electronic information to individual providers. How does an organization update digital contact information for multiple providers, clinicians or medical professionals in one file or submit a bulk update for digital contact information? Large organizations with many providers or clinicians with NPIs who wish to conduct a bulk upload or update of provider digital contact information will be able to do so through the Electronic File Interchange (EFI) process. CMS has developed an enhancement that will allow for bulk updating of digital contact information in NPPES. The EFI process will allow only the digital contact information to be updated without impacting the rest of the record in NPPES, and no additional data fields will need to be updated for each individual provider or clinician. The bulk upload functionality is now operational in NPPES. What should I enter if my organization does not have the capability to exchange information electronically? Can I share information through fax? Digital fax numbers are not considered digital endpoints. If a provider does not have a digital contact, the NPPES digital contact field would remain empty until they obtain one, and they will appear on the list of providers who do not have their digital contact information in NPPES. Where can I find the list of providers who do not have digital contact information in NPPES posted? How frequently is it updated? The list of providers who do not have digital contact information in NPPES is available on data.cms.gov and is updated quarterly. - (2020). the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access final rule (85 FR 25584).
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