Mini image of an American Flag An official website of the United States government.


Icon of a government buiding.

Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Icon of a lock box for secure website.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock (  ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Text Size

A A A  
Overview Submitting Reports to the NPDB Reporting Medical Malpractice Payments Reporting Adverse Clinical Privileges Actions Reporting Adverse Professional Society Membership Actions Reporting State Licensure and Certification Actions Reporting Federal Licensure and Certification Actions Reporting Peer Review Organization Negative Actions or Findings Reporting Private Accreditation Organization Negative Actions or Findings Reporting Exclusions from Participation in Federal or State Health Care Programs Reporting Federal or State Health Care-Related Criminal Convictions Reporting Health Care-Related Civil Judgments Reporting Other Adjudicated Actions or Decisions

Chapter F: Subject Statements and the Dispute Process

Overview

The NPDB is an information clearinghouse created by Congress with the primary goals of improving health care quality, protecting the public, and reducing health care fraud and abuse in the United States. The NPDB collects information on medical malpractice payments and certain adverse actions and discloses that information to eligible entities to facilitate comprehensive reviews of the credentials of health care practitioners, entities, providers, and suppliers. These payments and actions are required to be reported to the NPDB under Title IV of Public Law 99-660, the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986; Section 1921 of the Social Security Act; Section 1128E of the Social Security Act; and their implementing regulations found at 45 CFR Part 60.

The NPDB is committed to maintaining accurate information and ensuring that subjects of reports are informed when a report concerning them is submitted to the NPDB. This chapter describes the process by which the NPDB notifies subjects of reports and avenues available to subjects who may not agree with the content of a report, including adding a subject statement, disputing the report, and entering the report into Dispute Resolution.


Update October 2018

The following table describes changes made to the NPDB Guidebook. Style and formatting changes made throughout the Guidebook that do not affect the substance of the text are not indicated below. References to new figures added to this edition can be found in the Table of Figures.

  • Modified the section entitled "Dispute Resolution Limitations."
  • Relabeled Table F-2 to Figure F-1 and slightly modified the content.
  • Relabeled Table F-3 to Figure F-2 and slightly modified the content.
  • Modified the answer to the second example within the section "The Report is Inaccurate as Submitted."

Sections Updated

Do you have a question about the NPDB Guidebook that you'd like answered?