The National Practitioner Data Bank: what CRNAs need to know.

As a nationwide flagging system, the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) allows state licensing boards, hospitals, and other registered healthcare entities the ability to monitor practitioners through reporting and inquiry about the qualifications and competency of healthcare practitioners seeking clinical privileges where incompetence or unprofessional conduct could adversely affect a patient's welfare. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists are not exempt from being reported on or queried by registered reporting and querying entities. The NPDB warehouses data pertaining to adverse actions or medical malpractice payments taken against a practitioner. Based on the updated federal ruling published in the Federal Register regarding the NPDB and Section 1921 of the Social Security Act, the NPDB has expanded the definition of healthcare practitioners to include all healthcare practitioners as a means of protecting beneficiaries of the Social Security Act's healthcare programs. As such, nurse anesthetists should be aware of the additional reportable information that may be collected or disseminated based on the updated ruling pertaining to the NPDB.