What is taxonomy?
(3/2002) The provider taxonomy is a code set that identifies a health care provider by type and specialty. A provider may have more than one taxonomy code, depending on the type of service rendered. The taxonomy is a required data element on the 837 Institutional, 837 Professional, and 278 transactions. The taxonomy code is not a UPIN, Medicare provider number, or Medicaid provider number. The following is an example of the taxonomy code for a FQHC: • FQHC – 261QF0400N – 26 – Ambulatory Health Care Facilities – 1Q – Clinic/Center – F0400 – Federally Qualified Health Center – N – ‘No’ to national education requirement The full provider taxonomy code set can be found at www.wpc-edi.com/taxonomy/Codes.html.
The provider taxonomy is a code set that codifies provider type and provider area of specialization for all medical related providers. The National Uniform Claim Committee maintains the taxonomy code set. A provider may have more than one taxonomy code, depending on the provider’s area of specialization. The taxonomy is a required data element on the 837 institutional claim, 837 professional claim, and 278 prior authorization transactions. The taxonomy is not a unique number per provider. A full provider taxonomy code set can be found at http://www.wpc-edi.com.
Taxonomy is a branch of science, which has the purpose of attempting to organize the many living (and extinct or previously living things whose present form may differ from a former form) things, on Earth, into a logical system of classification and the names or nomenclature for such things. It is presently pretty well accepted that the Earth was formed 4.6 billions years ago AND that life on this planet started at least 3.5 billion years ago. All of the organisms which have ever lived on the Earth are known collectively as the Earth’s biota. All of the present life on the Earth of living organisms, are collectively the Earth’s present biosphere. The variety within the biosphere is staggering. To organize life on Earth in a meaningful manner is also staggering.(Curator’s Note: On August 9, 2003, I down loaded from the internet 121 pages, upon which on each page there were between 24 to 29 species listed per page, for a total of something like 3,270 species, of which this is only a smal
Taxonomy is the science of classifying, naming, and describing organisms. Taxonomy is a part of the scientific practice known as systematics, which entails the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The most prevalent naming system is the Linnaeus system, which is binomial system of nomenclature. This system uses two words to classify an organism’s species: genus and specific epithet. These two words are listed in italics or underlined in scientific documents. The typical classification system goes from broadest to narrowest as follows: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species. In taxonomy, evolutionary relationships are used in order to classify organisms, however, there are several different methods of classification. In any of these methods of classification, a taxon, or group of organisms, can be specified in several different ways. A monophyletic group is one which contains all of the descendants of a common ancestor, a paraphyletic group is one which contains
Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms and includes all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world. Using morphological, behavioural, genetic and biochemical observations, taxonomists identify, describe and arrange species into classifications, including those that are new to science. Taxonomy identifies and enumerates the components of biological diversity providing basic knowledge underpinning management and implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Unfortunately, taxonomic knowledge is far from complete. In the past 250 years of research, taxonomists have named about 1.78 million species of animals, plants and micro-organisms, yet the total number of species is unknown and probably between 5 and 30 million. Click here for information on the biography and legacy of the “father of taxonomy”, Carl Linnaeus.
