Government Restores Public Access to National Practitioner Data Bank
An agency from the Department of Health and Human Services has restored the public use database to the National Practitioners Data Bank, two months after removing the data amid concerns of inappropriate usage.
However, individuals who use the public access database must now agree that they will not link the information in the database with public information, such as court records, in order to identify the doctors.
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) is a nationwide repository where hospitals and other entities are required to report malpractice payments and other adverse actions taken against physicians, such as denial of clinical privileges or restrictions. While access to the database is generally restricted, there is a public use file that contains redacted information. Access to the database was shut down in September after certain individuals matched court records in malpractice cases to information in the database, thus publicly identifying the doctors.
In a statement released yesterday, the administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (the agency within HHS that manages the NPDB) said that the new restrictions are needed to avoid violating legal requirements on confidentiality. Pursuant to federal statute, information in the NPDB may only be disclosed to certain delineated individuals and organizations, and cannot be obtained via subpoena.
