The main concern should be reliability of data, even if cost is greater during implementation. A central registry will allow standardized, uniform data collection and enumeration. Funding may be available from marketing a limited number of data elements contained in the database. We agree with all of the potential uses for the NPI and the value of its use in communication among providers, pharmacies, clearinghouses, federal government, for COB determinations and for investigating fraud and abuse. Data Any and all changes in required data elements must be communicated to the enumerator by providers to avoid penalties.
Enforcement is critical to maintaining the integrity of the data.
We recommend that the focus of the NPS should be to capture only those data elements which are essential for the unique identification and enumeration of providers. This clarified focus will make the NPS easier to maintain and reduce the need for frequent changes to the file. The capture of several addresses and specialties should also reflect this focus on unique identification. As indicated before, we do not recommend linkage in the NPFs among individual providers, groups and organizations. The more fields in the provider data file, the more difficult it will be for the federal government to maintain timely updating and accuracy.