Coming soon: second data bank on fraud and abuse.

s a key part of the overall government A I crackdown on healthcare fraud and 1 abuse, the Healthcare Integrity and • I Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) is scheduled to open in the fall of 1999 (although its opening has been delayed once and may be delayed again). The HIPDB is, in many respects, a more refined version of the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), which was established by the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986. NPDB has been open since September 1, 1990, collecting information on healthcare professionals, primarily physicians and dentists, in connection with adverse licensure, clinical privileging, and malpractice actions. The HIPDB will contain information about adverse actions against all healthcare providers, suppliers, and practitioners. Although the new database represents a step forward, its broad definitions and exclusion of hospitals from access to its information present some serious problems.