An official website of the United States government.
What is considered an investigation for NPDB reporting purposes?
The NPDB considers an investigation to run from the start of an inquiry until a final decision on a clinical privileges action is reached. In other words, an investigation is not limited to a health care entity's gathering of facts or limited to the manner in which the term "investigation" is defined in an organization's by-laws or policy. An investigation begins as soon as the health care entity begins an inquiry.
A routine, formal peer review process under which a health care entity evaluates, against clearly defined measures, the privilege-specific competence of all practitioners is not considered an investigation for the purposes of reporting to the NPDB. However, if a formal, targeted process is used when issues related to a specific practitioner's professional competence or conduct are identified, this is considered an investigation for the purposes of reporting to the NPDB.
