Which identifier was developed by CMS to assign unique health care provider and health plan identifiers?

The correct choice is the identifier developed by CMS specifically to assign unique health care provider and health plan identifiers. This identifier is the National Provider Identifier (NPI). The NPI is a unique identification number for health care providers in the United States, intended to simplify billing and processing by healthcare providers and plans. It plays a critical role in standardizing and streamlining the identification of health care entities in electronic transactions.

The NPI was introduced as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to ensure that health care providers are consistently recognized across different health care settings and insurance plans.

The other options, while relevant to the healthcare and billing field, serve different functions. PEPPER, for instance, is a tool used for monitoring provider billing practices but has no role in providing unique identifiers. NPPES, the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, is the system through which NPIs are assigned but is not an identifier itself. PATH refers to a program associated with processing claims but does not relate to an identifier for health care providers or plans.