Who May Report and Query on Behalf of Eligible Entities

Authorized users and authorized agents may submit queries and reports and retrieve responses from the NPDB on behalf of registered entities.

Authorized NPDB Users

An authorized user (also known as an authorized submitter) is the individual or individuals selected and empowered by a registered entity to certify the legitimacy of information provided in a query or report to the NPDB (using the entity's DBID). In most cases, an authorized user is an employee of the organization submitting the report or query, such as an administrator, a risk manager, or a member of the medical staff services department.

Entities are responsible for selecting one or more authorized users. For example, an entity may designate a particular individual within the organization to be the authorized user for reporting and another individual to be the authorized user for querying. Entity administrators are responsible for identity-proofing authorized users when creating user IDs (although the administrator also may serve as the entity's authorized user). Each authorized user is required to have a unique user account with a unique user ID. Authorized users must each provide their name, title, and phone number at the time a query or report is submitted. Entities are responsible for their authorized users. Entities may change authorized users' query and reporting privileges, or deactivate authorized users, at any time without notifying the NPDB. Entities must deactivate any authorized user accounts when the authorized user is no longer affiliated with the entity or if the user account has been compromised.

Authorized Agents

Registered entities may elect to have outside organizations query or report to the NPDB on their behalf. Such an organization is referred to as an authorized agent. Authorized agents must register with the NPDB and comply with all registration requirements. Authorized agents also may assign authorized users who have been identity proofed and granted user access. In many cases, an authorized agent is an independent contractor used in conjunction with verifying credentials, called a credentials verification organization. In addition, an authorized agent may be an organization representing a group of eligible entities, such as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing or the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards, that submit reports to the NPDB on behalf of the organization's participating members. The NPDB prohibits an authorized agent from re-delegating some or all of its responsibilities to another authorized agent.

An authorized agent may be an agent for multiple eligible entities. Authorized agents must query the NPDB separately on behalf of each eligible entity they represent. The response to an NPDB query submitted for one entity cannot be disclosed to another entity. For more information on the confidentiality of NPDB information and civil money penalties for those who violate the confidentiality provisions, see Chapter A: Introduction and General Information.

Designating Authorized Agents

Before an authorized agent may act on behalf of an entity, the entity must designate the agent to interact with the NPDB on its behalf. Authorized agents must register with the NPDB and comply with all registration requirements before they can be designated. As part of the reporting and querying requirements, eligible entities are responsible for creating a written agreement between themselves and any authorized agents.