The Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set is an external, nonmedical data code set designed for use in an electronic environment, specifically within the ASC X12N Health Care transactions. This includes the transactions mandated under HIPAA.
The Health Care Provider Taxonomy code is a unique alphanumeric code, ten characters in length. The code set is structured into three distinct “Levels” including Provider Grouping, Classification, and Area of Specialization.
The National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) is presently maintaining the code set. It is used in transactions specified in HIPAA and the National Provider Identifier (NPI) application for enumeration. Effective 2001, the NUCC took over the administration of the code set. Ongoing duties, including processing taxonomy code requests and maintenance of the code set, fall under the NUCC Code Subcommittee. The Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set allows a single provider (individual, group, or institution) to identify their specialty category. Providers may have one or more than one value associated with them. When determining what value or values to associate with a provider, the user needs to review the requirements of the trading partner with which the value(s) are being used.
