A billing and coding specialist preparing a claim form for a provider from a group practice should enter the rendering provider's national provider identifier (NPI) into which of the following blocks on the CMS-1500 claim form?

• A. Block 24J
• B. Block 12
• C. Block 33
• D. Block 2

Answer: (A)

Placing the rendering provider’s NPI in the designated rendering provider field on the CMS-1500 is about matching the identifier to the clinician who performed the service. That specific field is Block 24J, and it is the correct location for the NPI of the rendering provider. In a group practice, you may also include the billing provider’s information in Block 33, but the rendering provider’s NPI belongs in 24J. Other blocks serve different purposes—Block 2 records the patient’s name, Block 12 the patient’s policy or plan number—so they aren’t used for NPIs.