A new study conducted by Health Research Group, a branch of the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, revealed that almost half of U.S. hospitals have never reported a privilege sanction to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). Hospitals are required to report incidents in which a practitioner’s hospital admitting privileges were revoked or restricted for more than 30 days for any issue involving medical competency or conduct. “Underreporting to the NPDB suggests that hospital peer review is not fulfilling the public trust,” the report stated.
However, some have suggested that the decline in reports may actually be attributed to earlier identification and resolution of competency or conduct problems within the 30-day period, thereby eliminating the need to report the incident to the NPDB.
The complete report can be accessed here.