Public Information

Access to Reports

Federal legislation restricts access to the NPDB to registered entities that meet certain criteria only. The general public does not have right of access to the NPDB or the reports stored in the system. The NPDB is used only for the NPDB's mission of protecting the public and providing quality health care. However, you may request information from the NPDB's public use file in a form that does not identify any particular organization or practitioner (see Access to Statistical Data below). For more information, please see Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 5 USC § 552 and Privacy Act of 1974, 5 USC § 552 a or visit the About Legislation & Regulations page. For additional information on specific practitioners, call the NPDB Customer Service Center.

Access to Statistical Data

NPDB statistical data is made available to the public for learning and analytical use. These data provide information about the kinds of organizations that use the NPDB and the types of reports that are received each year. For more information and to access the data, see About Statistical Data.

Attorney Access to the NPDB

Plaintiff's Attorney and Individuals Representing Themselves

Under certain limited conditions, a plaintiff's attorney or a plaintiff representing him or herself (pro se) is allowed to obtain information from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). These conditions are: A medical malpractice action or claim must have been filed by the plaintiff against a hospital in a State or Federal court or other adjudicative body and the practitioner on whom the information is requested must be named in the action or claim. Also, the plaintiff must provide evidence that the hospital failed to query on the named practitioner. The disclosed information may be used solely against the hospital and not the named practitioner. For more information, see Information for Attorneys.

Defense Attorney

Defense attorneys are not permitted access to the NPDB; however, the defendant practitioner is permitted to perform a self-query at any time.