HJAR Sep/Oct 2025

42 SEP / OCT 2025 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS NURSING COLUMN NURSING tem can track clinical interventions, out- comes, and documentation patterns at the individual level. As healthcare becomes in- creasingly data-driven, nurses are unique- ly positioned to demonstrate their impact on patient outcomes through electronic medical records (EMRs) and other digital documentation tools. These systems are more than repositories of clinical notes — they are powerful platforms to capture, analyze, and leverage data that reflect the full scope of nursing care. Nurses are on the front lines of patient care 24/7, often serving as the primary point of contact, care coordinator, and emotional support for patients and fam- ilies. While our roles have expanded with leadership, education, and policy influ- ence, our value is still not fully recognized. It is time for healthcare systems and soci- ety to match our responsibilities with the respect, resources, and recognition nurses deserve. Routinely, nursing value is hidden be- hind physician or healthcare organization billing codes or bundled service charges, masking nurses’ full impact on healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. While the NPI is not required nor exclu- sively used for billing, it can help advocate for transparency in the value of nursing. The American Nurses Association (ANA) and state organizations conclude that NPIs help support nurses’ values (ANA, 2022; Texas Nursing, 2024; Judge, 2023; DeMakis, 2024). A NATIONAL PROVIDER IDENTIFIER (NPI) is a 10-digit unique identifier as- signed to healthcare providers in the Unit- ed States, including nurses. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initially set up the NPI for providers such as phy- sicians and advanced practice registered nurses to use for billing and reimburse- ment. While registered nurses generally cannot bill for their services, we think they should utilize the NPI, because doing so will help bring attention to the value of nurses and their significant role in health- care. Tracking the Value of Nurses’ Work In 2004, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created the NPI as the standard identification for healthcare providers. The final rule establishing the NPI also specified the criteria for obtaining and using the NPI. Although NPIs are not used solely for billing and reimbursement, they are the only identifiers that CMS ac- knowledges. As Koehn (2024) points out, measur- ing nurses’ impact on patient outcomes is not feasible without an NPI. According to Goodolf and Godfrey (2021), the NPI con- sists of four domains: values and ethics, knowledge, leadership, and professional comportment, which align with nursing roles, caring responsibilities, values, and ethical standards. Big Data plays a powerful role in sup- porting the nursing profession. With each nurse assigned an NPI, the healthcare sys- TIME TO CONSIDER A NURSE National Provider Identifier Obtaining an NPI For over 20 years, Gallup’s annual Hon- esty and Ethics poll has ranked nurses as the most trusted profession (Brenan & Jones, 2024). This enduring trust under- scores the critical role of nurses in patient care and supports efforts to make nursing services recognizable and visible in our healthcare systems. The American Nurses Association rec- ognizes nurses’ vital contributions, and it is time for other professional organiza- tions and systems to recognize our value (National Provider Identifier, 2021). Nurses’ obtaining an NPI is one way to link data to visualize the work nurses do every day. Nurses should want an NPI, because it supports the public’s perception of nurs- es as reliable, ethical, and compassionate caregivers. Additionally, the Provider’s Central Hub lists six benefits for nurses who obtain an NPI: • Guarantees HIPAA compliance, which enhances and secures the billing process. • Preserves patient privacy and facil- itates the safe and easy exchange of patient data. • Makes a nurse’s credentials more transferable between states and med- ical establishments. • Makes advanced practice nurses’ administrative duties easier for those planning to broaden their practice scope. • Generates more income through electronic claim submission, which Margaret Love, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC Assistant Professor College of Nursing at UAMS