What is a taxonomy code?
The Health Care Provider Taxonomy Code Set is a hierarchical set of codes, descriptions, and definitions for health care providers. Healthcare Provider Taxonomy Codes are used to classify health care providers by their kind, categorization, and/or specialization.
On July 1st and January 1st of each year, the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set is published (issued). The July publication goes into force on October 1st, while the January publication goes into effect on April 1st.
The period between the publication’s release and the effective date is known as the implementation period, and it is used to give providers, payers, and vendors time to integrate any changes into their systems.
The codes are made available by the Washington Publishing Company and maintained by the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC).
The Purpose of Taxonomy Codes
Taxonomy codes are designed for use in an electronic environment, primarily within ASC X12N Health Care transactions and certain HIPAA-mandated transactions.
When applying for a National Patient Identifier (NPI) with the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, taxonomy codes are used for it.
Where do I find my taxonomy code?
Use the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) code setlist to discover the taxonomy code that best describes your provider type, categorization, or specialization.
When applying for an NPI, you may choose more than one code or code description, but only one must be designated as the primary code.
How can I access the taxonomy code data set? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has produced a crosswalk of taxonomy codes that connects the categories of providers and suppliers who are eligible to apply for Medicare enrollment with the relevant Healthcare Provider Taxonomy Codes. View the entire data set at data.cms.gov, where you may choose from a variety of download formats.