GROUP GETS UPDATES TO PROVIDER TAXONOMY CODES

Beginning next month, important revisions tothe Health Care Provider Taxonomy List forPharmacy Services and Pharmacy Providers willtake effect. The code list is a set of uniquealphanumeric codes, 10 characters in length,which describe the types of patient care servicesoffered by health care providers. The list is structuredinto 3 distinct "levels," including ProviderType, Classification, and Area of Specialization.

The Pharmacist Services Technical AdvisoryCoalition, a group of 7 pharmacy organizations,was instrumental in getting the revisions. Thechanges were announced by the NationalUniform Claims Committee. The committee is 1of 6 organizations mandated by the HealthInsurance Portability and Accountability Act(HIPAA) of 1996 with the responsibility for thedevelopment and modification of standards forthe electronic data interchange involving electronichealth care claims.

The new categories include Geriatric, Oncology,and Compounding Pharmacy. Changeswere made in the definitions for some existingpharmacist categories: Nuclear, Nutrition Support,Pharmacotherapy, and Psychiatric. The newcategories are additions to the general categoriesfor Pharmacist and Pharmacy. Providers(individual or entity) may have one or more taxonomycodes associated with them.

The code review was done in preparation forthe implementation of a National ProviderIdentifier (NPI), as mandated by HIPAA. As aresult, pharmacists and pharmacy entities thathave already finished the NPI application processshould assess the need to update the providertaxonomy code on their NPI record.