When should you access the Data Bank to see if there is information on you? What are the steps to finding this information? As a practitioner, provider, or supplier, there are some typical scenarios describing the reasons why you will want to go to the Data Bank Web site and search for reports on you.
Typical Scenarios
In a number of situations, you, as a practitioner or practitioner organization, will want to search for reports in the Data Bank: the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB). The following are some typical scenarios:
- Your potential employer, e.g., a hospital or group practice, has requested that you contact the Data Bank to see if there are any reports on you.
- You have applied for medical malpractice insurance, and the insurance company has asked you to submit a self-query to the Data Bank.
- You have been instructed by a potential employer, or licensing, credentialing, or insuring agency to contact the Data Bank for an information disclosure.
- You have received a notification that there is a report on you in the Data Bank and you want to check the report online.
- You are simply curious to know if there are any reports on you or your organization.
How to Search for Reports
The process for finding and requesting a report involves several steps, with part of it done electronically and part on paper. For detailed instructions, see Helpful Hints for Submitting a Self-Query, which you may wish to print out before starting. Click here to go directly to the Data Bank to order a search.
-
- From the Data Bank home page, click Has a Report Been Filed on You?
Note: You don’t need to register first.
-
- Click either Search on Myself or Search on My Organziation, whichever category applies.
- Read and acknowledge the Rules of Behavior.
- Complete the online form, including password, email address, response preferences and payment information.
- A formatted copy of the form is generated. Click Continue.
- Print the formatted copy. Sign and date it in the presence of a notary public.
- Mail the notarized copy to the address specified on the form.
Note: Faxed forms cannot be accepted and processed; nor can a form without proper notarization be accepted/processed. Notarization ensures your privacy and the confidentiality of Data Bank information. Please do not enclose pre-paid, self-addressed envelopes for overnight return mail delivery. If you do, these envelopes will be returned to you unused.
- You will receive an email notifying you of the status of your request. You may go to the Check Your Report Status Sign-In to see your results. A response will be mailed to you if you so requested on the Response Preference page. A response is either a notification that no information exists in the Data Bank, or a copy of all report information on you, submitted by eligible reporting organizations.
Fees
Effective March 1, 2010, all individual and organization requests for reports are automatically sent to both the NPDB and the HIPDB for a total charge of $16.00. The fee must be paid for by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express). Requests that are missing credit card information are rejected. See Billing and Fees for more information.
Other Links You May Need
- About Us (discusses information about the Data Bank, confidentiality, and security)
- How to Get Started (contains a brief introduction to the Data Bank and how it works; outlines the basic options you have on this Web site)
- About Responding to Reports (provides general information about the dispute process and how to go about it)
- Has a Report Been Filed on You? (lets you jump directly into the process of searching for a report on you)
- Respond to a Notification (takes you directly into the process of responding to a report)
- Helpful Hints for Submitting a Self Query (helps you search for reports and tells you how to fill out the required fields correctly)
- Billing and Fees (explains and lists fees for searching for reports)