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Query the Data Banks
The NPDB and HIPDB are primarily alert or flagging systems intended
to facilitate a comprehensive review of the professional credentials
of health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers. Eligible
entities should use the information in conjunction with information
from other sources when granting clinical privileges or in employment,
affiliation, or licensure decisions. Only eligible entities that
are currently registered with the NPDB-HIPDB may submit queries.
Eligible entities may query at any time. Eligibility for one Data
Bank does not guarantee eligibility for the other Data Bank. Hospitals
are the only health care entities with mandatory requirements for
querying the NPDB.
Querying the NPDB
Eligible entities may query as follows:
Mandatory Querying:
- Hospitals must query at the time a physician, dentist, or other
health care practitioner applies for a position on its medical
staff (courtesy or otherwise) or for clinical privileges at the
hospital. In addition, hospitals must query every 2 years
(biennially) on all physicians, dentists, and other health care
practitioners who are on its medical staff (courtesy or otherwise)
or have clinical privileges at the hospital. Also, hospitals are
required to query the NPDB when a practitioner wishes to add to
or expand existing privileges and when a practitioner submits
an application for temporary privileges.
Voluntary Querying:
- Hospitals may query at other times as necessary for professional
review activity.
- Other health care entities may query when screening applicants
for a medical staff appointment or granting affiliation or clinical
privileges, and in support of professional review activity.
- Professional societies may query when screening an applicant
for membership or affiliation, and in support of professional
review activity.
- State medical and dental boards and other State licensing boards
may query at any time on physicians, dentists, and other health
care practitioners.
- Health care practitioners may self-query at any time.
- Plaintiff’s attorneys or a plaintiff representing himself
or herself (pro se) may query under certain circumstances.
Querying the HIPDB
Information in the HIPDB is available to:
- Federal and State government agencies.
- Health plans.
- Health care practitioners, providers, or suppliers may self-query.
For more details on querying, refer to the Fact
Sheet on Querying  , the NPDB Guidebook,
and the HIPDB Guidebook.
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