They recommended that the NAIC Co-Code be considered as the base for the payer identifier since many plans and clearinghouses already utilize the number and have based their application systems on this identifier. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Ad-Hoc Work Group on National Identifiers. Issues pertaining to health plan identifiers. 1997, January 9, p. 3. The number is already used by many organizations as a payer identifier, theoretically resulting in a less costly system design and implementation than a new identifier would require.
Every entity is assigned a unique, permanent number.
The issues surrounding the development of an operational database for 6,000 records are significantly different from one that could potentially contain more than 10 million records. It has not yet been established if the NAIC would be willing to accept this role. A new resource for edi. Healthcare Financial Management. July, p. 94.