New data bank will identify adverse’ physician actions
A Healthcare InfoTech Staff Report
It’s official. Despite the protests of numerous physician groups, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has gotten its way with the new Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB). The database will register all so-called adverse actions taken against physicians and other providers even if those actions still are under appeal.
The HIPDB, mandated by the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is intended to be a register of any adverse actions against providers, including civil or criminal judgments or convictions, licensing actions, and exclusions. It will include actions that involve unsound fiscal, business, or medical practices that cost Medicare money, don’t meet accepted standards of care or affect patient care.
A system such as this is bound to raise objections, of course, and critics say that the "final adverse actions" supposedly contained in the database aren’t really final at all. Cases under appeal can still be included in the database. "We remain opposed to the ruling in its final form on that point," said Pat Smith, director of governmental relations for the Medical Group Management Association (Engle wood, CO). "Every provider group’s concern here is that the information [in the database] is accurate and that it doesn’t go in until there is some kind of final adjudication."
In addition to listing physicians, the database also will include records on dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and all other healthcare practitioners who are licensed or authorized at the state level. It also includes healthcare suppliers who furnish or provide access to healthcare services or supplies. These include durable medical equipment companies, pharmaceutical companies, medical record services, and billing companies.
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