For students, physicians and patients to defend against and avoid the harm of biased peer review while pressuring Congress to amend the laws that allow good physicians to become victims.

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The HCQIA established the controversial NPDB as a way for patients and hospitals to review the credentiels of physicians and avoid poor care. We've gathered a collection of articles and opinions regarding the data bank, its intended consequences and its actual consequences. There are a number of cases involving the use of the data bank as well. We hope you will read these to better understand the implications of the HCQIA, the NPDB, and the potential harm for any physician dealing with a hospital that does not promote fair peer review through contracts and by laws.

National Pracitioners Data Bank: the web site

American Medical Association's review of the NPDB

Major improvements recommended by the GAO

NPDB's sister site, Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB), "to combat fraud and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery." This site has proven controversial as well.

How much do you know about the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank? It is newer and different than the NPDB and your name may be on it. Here is the fact sheet on the HIPDB, submitted by the agency itself. full story...

New data bank casts wider net (HIPDB): How the fraud busters threaten to turn up the heat on physicians full story...

Hospital Peer Review and the National Practitioner Data Bank: The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) is believed to be an important source of information for peer review activities by the majority of those who use it. However, concern has been raised that hospitals may be underreporting physicians with performance problems to the NPDB. full story...

What Do You Know About The NPDB? Controversy surrounds this database of information, in terms of whether the material contained in it is accurate and whether the ways it is being used are true to the purposes for which it was designed. full story...