How to Elevate a Report to Dispute Resolution

If your report has been in dispute status for 60 days and you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may elevate the report to dispute resolution. If you have not yet disputed the report in question, see How to Dispute a Report for more information.

Dispute resolution is a request for the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review a report. The secretary delegated the Division of Practitioner Data Bank of the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct this review in the order in which they are received. The Division of Practitioner Data Bank is responsible for oversight of the NPDB.

The law strictly limits our jurisdiction for reviewing disputed reports. We can only review if the report was submitted in accordance with reporting requirements, if the reporting organization is eligible to report the information, and if the report accurately depicts the action taken by the reporting organization and the basis for the action in the organization's written record. Any other issue must be resolved between you and the reporting organization.

Note: If you receive written communication within the 60 day waiting period that the reporting organization refuses to correct or void the report, you may ask us to elevate the report immediately to dispute resolution.

To Request Dispute Resolution

Note: Only the subject of the report can sign in to their report.

1. On the home page, select Sign In to View Your Report.
2. On the Sign In To Review Your Report page, sign in to your report.
3. On the Your Reports page, select Updates and Options.
   Exit

   Your Reports

   
4. On the Report Response page, select Request Dispute Resolution.
5. On the Request Dispute Resolution Page, select the checkbox I request dispute resolution, then select Continue.
6. Complete the information requested on the page, then select Submit.
7. Save the Request for Dispute Resolution document for your records.
   Note: Attorneys representing subjects of reports must include an attorney authorization letter in order to speak with us on behalf of the subject of the report.

If you did not electronically attach all documentation during steps 6 and 7 above, you may send (by mail) the following:

• Supporting documentation that either proves that the information reported is not factually accurate or that the action was not reported in accordance with reporting regulations.
  Note: Only include relevant documentation. Submitting large volumes or extraneous documentation can delay the review process.
• Proof that you contacted or attempted to contact the reporting organization to resolve your dispute (e.g., email or other written correspondence with the organization's response).

Please remember

The dispute resolution review does not include reviewing the following:

• The underlying reasons for the report, such as the merits of a medical malpractice claim or the appropriateness of, or basis for, other types of reports.
• The extent to which entities followed due process procedures. Due process issues must be resolved between the subject and the reporting organization.

Late reporting does not constitute grounds for disputing a report. Although eligible entities must report medical malpractice payments and other reportable actions within 30 calendar days of the date the action was taken or the payment was made, an organization's failure to do so does not exempt it from submitting a report beyond the 30-day time frame. Issues of timely reporting are handled through the NPDB's compliance program.