NPI

An NPI, or National Provider Identifier, is a unique ten-digit number assigned to a healthcare provider (both an individual dentist (Type 1) and a practice or organization (Type 2) generally need their own) used to identify who performed and who billed for a service on every insurance claim. Without a valid NPI on file and correctly matched during credentialing, claims cannot be processed correctly by any plan, insurance or otherwise.

New dentists and new practices need to apply for an NPI as one of the very first administrative steps when starting or joining a practice, since it is a prerequisite for the credentialing process with every insurance plan, not a formality that can be handled later. A mismatched or missing NPI is also a surprisingly common, entirely preventable reason a claim gets denied even when every other part of the submission was correct.

Keep both the individual and organizational NPI numbers, along with the rest of the practice's core identifying information, in one place the office manager can access quickly: insurance enrollment forms and credentialing applications ask for them constantly.