National Credentialing ForumFebruary 6, 2014

Ernia HughesU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesHealth Resources and Services Administration

Bureau of Health ProfessionsDivision of Practitioner Data Banks

Presentation Overview

• NPDB Mission and Vision

• Data Bank Merger

• System Enhancements

• Hospital Compliance

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Organizational Background

DPDB Vision and MissionVision:

• To be a nationally recognized leader and partner in improving health care quality and patient safety

Mission:• To collect and provide complete,

accurate, timely, and reliable information on the nation’s health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers to improve health care quality, promote patient safety, and deter fraud and abuse

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Data Bank Merger

Why Did the Data Banks Merge?

• Section 6403 of the ACA authorized the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to cease the operation of the HIPDB and to consolidate the operation of the HIPDB with the NPDB

• Goal: Eliminate duplication between the NPDB and HIPDB

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Data Bank Merger Highlights• Reports that were stored in both the NPDB and HIPDB

will remain, but will reside in the NPDB only• There was no need to re-register with the Data Bank;

registration flagging systems were automatically re-aligned

• The authority for certain reportable actions has changed, but no user action is required

• If you queried both the NPDB and the HIPDB, now you will only query the NPDB

• The former Data Bank website URL (http://www.npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov) is automatically redirected to an updated URL:

http://www.npdb.hrsa.gov 6

System Enhancements

Recent system changes• Paperless registration renewal

• New post-HIPDB merger website http://www.npdb.hrsa.gov

• Express Self-Query

• Auto-complete/search for schools

• Additional field for entity name Streamline new entity registration

• Simplify Continuous Query screens

• Password Wizard 8

Upcoming system changes

• Simplify workflow for agents• Sunset ITP• Server Upgrades• Data integrity/validation

o Field of Licensure codeo Basis for Action codeo Reduce use of “other”

• Geocoding

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Hospital Compliance Project

Hospital compliance efforts

Progress over the past year includes:

• Compared data between the American Hospital Association and NPDB to identify hospitals not registered with the Data Bank;

• Discussed and developed a draft hospital attestation process;

• Performed additional background research to better understand the hospital landscape and identify best practices; and

• Reviewed current compliance efforts that have been implemented by CMS and OIG

• Met with key stakeholders (e.g., AHA, Joint Commission) to discuss this project.

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Future Hospital Compliance Efforts

• Develop and implement stakeholder outreach/education

• Develop and implement individual hospital outreach/education

• Design and implement hospital attestation

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Questions?

Contact Information

Ernia HughesDirectorDivision of Practitioner Data BanksBureau of Health ProfessionsHealth Resources and Services

AdministrationU.S. Department of Health and Human

Services

Telephone: 301-443-8263Email: ehughes@hrsa.gov

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