The Center for Public Integrity’s Data Mine focuses on the National Practitioner Databank and the lack of public access to information in the database, which contains information about loss of privileges for medical professionals, malpractice payments and license revocations.
The public can access and use statistical information from the database but it cannot find out information about specific professionals. The American Medical Association, opposes making information in the database public because it “is riddled with duplicate entries [and] inaccurate data,” according to the Data Mine’s report.
A report last year from Public Citizen revealed that hospitals take advantage of loopholes to avoid reporting disciplined physicians to the database.
AHCJ Resources
- Access to list of disciplined health workers in limbo
- A road map for covering your local hospital’s quality
- How well does your state oversee nurses?
- State oversight of health professionals
- Records show ‘dangerous doctors’ rarely face discipline
- Health reporting resources for reporters covering state and local government
- Investigating health care: Essential public records
