The United States Department of Health and Human Services maintains a databank of individuals who have had medical malpractice settlements or judgments
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Integrity Data Bank (HIPDB) are information clearinghouses created by Congress to improve health care quality and reduce health care fraud and abuse in the U.S. Collectively, the NPDB and HIPDB are referred to as the Data Bank.
The Data Bank collects information on and maintains reports on the following:
- Medical malpractice payments
- Adverse licensure and certification actions
- Adverse clinical privilege actions
- Adverse professional society membership actions
- Health care-related criminal convictions and civil judgments and other adjudicated actions
- Medicare/Medicaid exclusions
- Other adjudicated actions against practitioners, providers, and suppliers
- Any negative action or finding against a health care practitioner or entity.
Generally speaking, reports must be filed by medical malpractice insurers if a written claim is paid by settlement or judgment in the amount of $10,000 or more.
How many Tennessee physicians have been reported to the Databank between September 1, 1990 and May 22, 2010 (the most recent data available)?
3216, or just 160 per year.