3.Ensure that provider group identifiers fit the realities of today's marketplace. Individual providers may belong to a group practice. In addition, they may have business relationships, either individually or as a group, with multiple IPAs and integrated medical groups. Provider group identifiers should be assigned so they can be used to indicate each provider's contractual relationship to the patient for each encounter. In other words, the identifier should connect the provider to a particular medical group or IPA that contracts with the health plan to which the patient belongs.
Time is of the essence.
The California stakeholders are poised to implement needed systems infrastructure throughout the state. Yet they cannot act until the Secretary of HHS has determined the standards that will be used. Thus, we urge you to complete your work in a timely manner and to recommend rapid decisionmaking within HHS once those recommendations have been made. Great efforts should be made to meet the deadlines mandated by law. Once the standards are developed publicize them widely.