NPDB Insights - February 2024

Is It Reportable?

A state agency responsible for licensing skilled nursing facilities suspended a facility's license after substantiating several serious quality of care complaints against the facility. Is this reportable?

Yes. State licensing and certification authorities must report adverse actions resulting from a formal proceeding, such as a revocation or suspension of a license, taken against a health care practitioner, entity, provider, or supplier.

State Licensure Actions vs. Government Administrative Actions

Both state licensure actions and government administrative actions are reported as adverse actions. However, there are distinct and important differences between them.

State licensure actions are taken in relation to licensure, certification, registration, or other authorization by the state to provide health care services. Government administrative actions are taken in relation to certification agreements or contracts for participation in government health care programs.

For Example...

If a practitioner surrenders their license or certification in lieu of a disciplinary action, it must be reported as a state licensure action.

For Example...

If a state licensing or certification authority is authorized by state law (e.g., a state practice act or state title act) to regulate nurse aides, and the state authority suspends a nurse aide's license after he abuses a patient, that action should be reported to the NPDB as a state licensure action. However, in states that do not regulate nurse aides in this way, nurse aide registry findings should be reported to the NPDB as government administrative actions.

Why Is It Important to Submit the Correct Type of Report?

Not all querying entities are eligible to receive all types of reports. If a report is submitted incorrectly, it could be received by an entity that is not allowed to have it, or it may not be sent to an entity that should have it. For example, a hospital may receive state licensure action reports on a physician in response to a query, but if a state licensing board incorrectly submits a state licensure action as a government administrative action, the hospital will not receive the report even though they are entitled to receive the information.

Visit the following sections of the NPDB Guidebook for more information:

• Reporting State Licensure and Certification Actions
• Reporting Other Adjudicated Actions or Decisions

Stop Resetting Your Password in 2024: Switch to MFA Today

Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, is now available for all NPDB users. Soon MFA will be required to sign in to the NPDB. We encourage you to get a head start and begin using MFA today.

MFA is an authentication method that requires users to provide two or more verification factors to sign in to the NPDB: something you know, like a password, and something you have, like a code you receive on a mobile phone. MFA provides an additional layer of security for your NPDB account.

• MFA requires two methods of verification. This makes it more difficult for hackers to access your account.
• MFA is more convenient. You no longer need to regularly use your DBID or regularly change your password.

Information stored in the NPDB is subject to strict confidentiality provisions. As a result, the NPDB remains committed to providing our users with the highest levels of security.

MFA is quick and easy to set up. Visit our MFA Help page to get started today.

Dear NPDB

What subject information must I include in a report?

It is important to provide accurate and complete information on the subject of a report. Identifying the subject of the report as accurately as possible helps ensure a higher-quality match when a query is performed. Make sure you include as much information as possible on your report. This includes the subject's full name, date of birth, license number(s), addresses, etc. By providing the most complete and accurate information in your report, you help to ensure the accuracy of all future query responses.

Note: If you do not have some of the requested fields, do not guess or make up information to fill in the gaps. Providing incorrect information can block relevant matches in query responses.

Please view these resources for more information about submitting reports:

• How to Submit a Report
• Writing Narrative Descriptions (Webinar)
• Reporting Infographics
• NPDB Guidebook, Chapter E: Reports