National Practitioner Data Bank

Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank

1. Are practitioners notified of a Data Banks report concerning them?

   Yes. Whenever the Data Banks receives a new, revised, corrected, or voided report, it sends a Subject Notification Document (SND) to the subject named in the report using the address supplied by the reporting organization. If an SND is returned to the Data Banks by the post office as undeliverable, that information is added to the report along with the address to which the subject's report was sent, the date it was sent, and an explanation that the subject did not receive a copy of the report because it was returned as undeliverable. If a non-delivered report is not returned to the Data Banks by the post office, the Data Banks is unable to add the non-deliverable notice. (Also in Reporting FAQ and General Information FAQ.)

2. How do I correct my address with the Data Banks?

   The Data Banks cannot change information submitted in reports; however, if you are the subject of a report in the Data Banks, you may update your mailing address by accessing the Report Response Service, located on the Data Banks home page. It is important to keep a current mailing address on file to ensure you receive all communications from the Data Banks.

   To ensure security, each Notification of a Report in the Data Banks contains a unique password for access to the Report Response Service. You must have this password and the Data Bank Control Number (DCN) for the report in order to change your mailing address through the Report Response Service. If you do not have this information, contact the Customer Service Center or call 1-800-767-6732. Information Specialists are available to speak with you weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (5:30 p.m. on Fridays) Eastern Time. The Customer Service Center is closed on all Federal holidays. (Also in Self-Query FAQ and General Information FAQ.)

3. In the Report Response Service, I notice an option to provide my email address to the Data Banks. What does the Data Banks do with this information?

   The Data Banks would like to be able to notify you (via email) when newsletters are available and system improvements occur. If you would like to receive the Data Banks e-newsletter, specify your email address when in the Report Response Service. You may also send an email to enewsletter-rrs-subscribe@npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov. We do not share email addresses provided to us through our website with other parties. You will have the opportunity to opt out of future messages with each email you receive from the NPDB-HIPDB.

4. A report was submitted to the Data Bank about me. Is there a way for me to provide my side of the story in a Data Bank report?

   Yes. You may add a 4,000 character statement that informs queriers of your side of the story. Do not include identifying information about patients, colleagues, or other persons (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) other than your legal counsel, in your statement. Once a statement is processed, it is forwarded to all queriers who received the report within the last three years. Your statement will be included with the report when it is disclosed to future queriers. Instructions for adding a subject statement or disputing a report can be found on the document you received notifying you of the report (Notification of a Report in the Data Banks). Access the Report Response Service to dispute a report and/or add a subject statement to a report. (Also in General Information FAQ.)

5. What does it mean to dispute a report?

   The subject of a medical malpractice payment report or an adverse action report may dispute either the factual accuracy of the report or whether a report was submitted in accordance with the NPDB and/or HIPDB’s reporting requirements, including the eligibility of the organization to report the information to the Data Banks. A subject may not dispute a report in order to protest a decision made by an insurer to settle a claim or to appeal the underlying reasons for an adverse action.

   If a subject i.e., healthcare practitioner or organization, believes that information in a report is factually inaccurate (e.g., an incorrect adverse action code or payment amount) or should not have been reported, the subject must first attempt to resolve the disagreement directly with the reporting organization.

   A dispute becomes part of the specific report being challenged. When the Data Banks receives a properly completed Subject Statement and Dispute Initiation form from the subject initiating a dispute, notification of the dispute is sent to all queriers who received the report and is included with the report when it is released to future queriers.

   The fact that a report is marked as "disputed" means only that the subject disagrees with the report. Initiating a dispute does not trigger an investigation by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), although it is a prerequisite for requesting Secretarial Review. A report that is placed in dispute status remains in dispute status unless the subject of the report either withdraws the dispute or requests a Secretarial Review.

6. What is Secretarial Review and how do you request it?

   After the practitioner disputes a report, if the reporting organization does not change the report, or the practitioner is not satisfied with the change, he/she may request that the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) review the report.

   The Secretary reviews disputed reports for accuracy of factual information and to ensure that the information was required to be reported. The Secretary does not review the “due process” provided by the organization or the merits of a medical malpractice claim in the case of a payment, or the appropriateness of, or basis for, a healthcare organization professional review action or a State licensing board action.