The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently testified before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) Subcommittee on Standards and Security regarding the upcoming implementation of the National Provider Identifier (NIP), according to a release of AHA's testimony.
   
The AHA believes that hospitals are confused about the timeline and means by which the NIP will be implemented, and suggested that one way to ease the 'desperate need' is for more outreach and education to be made available.
   
To help rectify the situation, the AHA also recommended that a staged approach be taken for NIP with clearly defined readiness levels.