National Practitioner Data Bank

The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) was established by the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (HCQIA), which directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set up a system to collect and release information on the professional competence and conduct of physicians, dentists, nurses and other health care practitioners.

The idea was to provide a central, national depository of negative information about the competence and professional performance of health care providers. Congress was concerned that physicians, in particular, that were disciplined in one state or arena could freely move to another state or locale and start anew despite a history of bad professional performance.

The information reported to the NPDB comes from three sources:

• Malpractice judgments and settlements (no matter how small) must be reported by insurance companies
• Disciplinary actions that affect a practitioner's privilege or membership and implicate the practitioner's competence or professional activities must be reported by hospitals and professional societies
• State licensing boards must report restrictions composed on a practitioner's license to practice

This means that adverse actions taken by a medical review board against a physician, dentist, nurse or other health care professional that undergoes a professional review, disciplinary action or licensure proceeding will be reported to the NPDB.

The NPDB is required to make this information available to hospitals, state licensure boards, some professional societies and other health-care entities under certain circumstances. Demands are increasing for this information to be made available to the public. Similar information may be available upon written request through the state licensing boards, and now many licensing boards are even releasing this data through their web sites.

That is why it is so important that you try to avoid a report to the NPDB and ensure that the information contained in any report is accurate and not misleading. Contact Frances Cullen, P.C. to help you assess the risks and consequences of an adverse action affecting your medical license and to help you limit its potential impact on the NPDB.

NPDB officials rely on practitioner notification and dispute resolution proceedings to ensure the accuracy of reports, but it is notoriously difficult to obtain corrections in the data bank. If you disagree with the information contained within a report, you need to take immediate action to dispute any controversial information. Contact Frances Cullen, P.C. for assistance in correcting inaccurate or misleading data in a NPDB report that could destroy or injure your medical career.    

Frances Cullen, P.C.

The Candler Building
127 Peachtree Street, Suite 905
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404-523-2044
Fax: 404-523-1684
E-mail

From her offices in Atlanta, Georgia, attorney Fran Cullen serves clients throughout the region, including Albany, Athens, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Marietta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Savannah, Cobb County, DeKalb County, Fulton County, Athens-Clark County, Bibb County, Chatham County, Columbia County, Columbus County, Muscogee County, Doherty County, Forsyth County, and Gwinnett County.