Provider Titles

The editor for provider profiles contains inputs for four types of titles.

Clinical Title

The clinical title is a single title that is meant to represent the provider’s occupation, position or role that is relevant to the prospective patient.

In order to maintain a consistent and uniform system of clinical titles on uamshealth.com, the provider’s clinical title must be defined according to the primary classification or specialization currently defined by the provider on their National Provider Identifier (NPI) record in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System. This primary classification or specialization is chosen from the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set which is maintained by the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC).

The provider’s NPI record can be found at https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/search. Enter the provider’s NPI number in the NPI Number field and click Search. When the profile loads, scroll to the Taxonomy section. Find the row in the taxonomy table where the value in the Primary Taxonomy column is Yes. Select and copy the 10-character alphanumeric code in the Selected Taxonomy column for that row. For example, if the full value for that column is 208000000X - Pediatrics, select and copy 208000000X.

We pair each classification and specialization code with a patient-friendly clinical title in our system on uamshealth.com.

When editing the provider’s profile on uamshealth.com, paste the taxonomy code from the NPI record (e.g., 208000000X) into the Clinical Job Title input and select the clinical title that is returned. For example, pasting in 208000000X will return Pediatrician.

If Provider’s Primary Taxonomy Code is Not Accurate or Up-to-Date

According to UAMS Provider Enrollment:

• It’s critical for the provider’s primary taxonomy code to reflect their primary classification / specialization because some payers check the taxonomy code on the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System system before paying claims to make sure the taxonomy code would allow them to perform the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code.
• It is critical for the provider’s primary taxonomy code to reflect their most specific specialization to avoid denied claims for services rendered to a single patient by multiple providers with the same primary taxonomy code on the same day.
• UAMS Provider Enrollment can / should be granted surrogacy so that they can maintain the taxonomy codes on the behalf of the provider. To do so, you may email enrollment@uams.edu or you may call Tina Burks at 501-614-2113. Emailing is best because it reaches the entire UAMS Provider Enrollment staff.
• If a provider’s classification / specialization changes, UAMS Provider Enrollment should be promptly notified of this change. This will allow UAMS Provider Enrollment to process the changes across various payers.

If the primary classification or specialization currently included in the National Provider Identifier (NPI) record does not accurately reflect the provider’s current primary classification or specialization, a few things must happen.

The provider should contact UAMS Provider Enrollment to have their NPI record updated to reflect the current primary classification or specialization via the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System.

When the provider has done that — or if they intend to do that — inform UAMS Web Services of what the new classification or specialization is (or will be), based on the the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set.

If the Provider Has No NPI

If the provider does not have an NPI, the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set should be reviewed to determine if a classification or specialization in that list can be used to select an appropriate clinical title.

If the provider does not have an NPI and nothing in the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set covers the provider’s classification/specialty, the provider’s designated editor can work with UAMS Web Services to define an exception to the standard system used to select a clinical title. This new clinical title should be based off of common terminology used by the relevant credentialing and/or licensing organizations.

Rewording a Patient-Friendly Clinical Title

If the current form of a patient-friendly clinical title needs to be reworded, contact UAMS Web Services with a proposed change and justifications for the change.

Note that the patient-friendly clinical title must still remain distinct from those associated with other classification and specialization codes found in the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set.

How This Title is Used

The clinical title is displayed beneath the provider’s name on the front end of the website.

Users can filter a list of providers by clinical title on profiles for locations, areas of expertise, conditions and treatments.

Exceptions to the Standard System for Clinical Titles

If nothing in the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set covers the provider’s classification/specialty, the provider’s designated editor can work with UAMS Web Services to define an exception to the standard system used to select a clinical title.

The following criteria must be met:

• The clinical specialization applies at a national level and is not restricted to local use.
• The clinical specialization meets a unique need that is well-defined and separate and distinct from other clinical specializations currently in the Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set.
• The addition of the specialization has the support of the related UAMS organizational unit(s), if applicable.
• If the title is for medical doctors (M.D.) or doctors of osteopathy (D.O.), either of the following must be true:
  • The area of specialty is recognized for certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties or by the American Osteopathic Association certifying boards or conjoint examination committees.
  • Or there is an accredited residency/fellowship specialty/subspecialty training program by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or by AOA-accredited Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education.
  • Or all of the following must be true:
    • The training requirements demonstrate that the provider has a recognized area of specialty / subspecialty that is separate and distinct from others.
    • The training program is accredited by a third party.
    • The third party accrediting organization establishes training program requirements, conducts periodic reviews of the programs, and has the authority to sanction programs.
    • A certification examination is required for graduates of the specialty / subspecialty training program to earn the designation.
• If the title is for other providers, all of the following must be true:
  • The training requirements demonstrate that the provider has a recognized area of specialty / subspecialty that is separate and distinct from others.
  • The training program is accredited by a third party.
  • The third party accrediting organization establishes training program requirements, conducts periodic reviews of the programs, and has the authority to sanction programs.
  • A certification examination is required for graduates of the specialty / subspecialty training program to earn the designation.

Clinical Administrative Title

The clinical administrative title (pending as of May 21, 2020) is an input for multiple titles that is meant to capture the administrative role(s) the provider has within a Service Line. These are currently limited to service line director, nursing director, medical director and administrator.

In a discussion with Keith Whitworth on May 21, 2020, it was decided that we would not display the clinical administrative title on the front end of provider profiles.

Faculty Title

The faculty title (labeled as “Academic Appointment” prior to May 21, 2020) is an input for multiple titles that is meant to capture the non-administrative faculty role(s) the provider has within the relevant College/Graduate School department (e.g., professor, instructor).

Academic award titles like endowed chairs have been removed from this list, per a discussion with Keith Whitworth on May 21, 2020.

The faculty titles are displayed under a “Faculty Appointments” heading on the front end.

Academic Administrative Title

The academic administrative title is an input for multiple titles that is meant to capture the administrative role(s) the provider has within the relevant College/Graduate School or department within (e.g., department chair, division chief).

These titles are displayed under a “Administrative Roles” heading on the front end.