Important message from the BAO: Behavior Analysis and Public Policy Group

[Guest guest]

Fellow Behavior Analysts,

There is a May, 2007 deadline health care providers to

obtain an NPI # by the Administrative Simplicfication providions of

the

HIPPAA act. This can be done online (for free) at: https://nppes.

cms.hhs.gov/ NPPES/Welcome. do

Some analysts have gone to get their NPI and found the following

situation:

There are options to apply under the taxonomy of Behavioral

Health & Social Service Providers: psychologists (with behavioral or

DD

specializations) or to apply uder the taxonomy: Other Service

Providers -

Specialist. As some of us are not licensed psychologists, the former

option

appears to be a misrepresentation, and the latter option is not very

specific. Some members of our field have contacted customer support

regarding this and asking that a taxonomy which would include Behavior

Analysts be added (perhaps having a space for the BCBA Certificant #

as

well). Below is a letter sent to customer service. While we may not

need

this NPI to provide services, it may help our field to have the

classification added (especially as more and more funding agencies are

picking us up as providers.). It may behoove us to all contact

customer

service via e-mail, or call the help line to ask that a

classification be

made for Behavior Analysts. Thank you!

E-mail: customerservice@ npienumerator. com or call: 1-800-465-3203

Sample Letter:

Dear Customer Service,

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (www.bacb.com) with a

certification

number, EIN for the agency, and provider contract agreements in good

standing over the last several years with Medicaid Waiver in

Tennessee.

I have attempted to comply with medicaid rules requiring that my

agency

obtain an NPI from you in order to continue to work with children and

adults

with developmental disabilities through Tennessee's Medicaid Waiver

System

and Tennessee Behavioral Health.

When I attempt to obtain the NPI for my group, I am unable to log in

as

Board Certified Behavior Analyst is not an option in your system. The

closest thing you have to what I do is psychologist, specializing in

work

with people with developmental disabilities. This, however is not

appropriate as I am not, nor are the colleagues in my group, licensed

psychologists and we do not wish to represent ourselves as such.

Many state medicaid waiver systems now approve Board Certified

Behavior

Analysts as providers of Applied Behavior Analysis services and many

people

have benefitted from those services. Please help us comply with the

NPI

requirement so that the children and adults with special needs who

require

our services do not experience a lapse in service due to system

problems

with obtaining an NPI. Thank you for your consideration. I look

forward to

hearing from you and learning how best to comply with this

requirement.