About Us

What is the NPDB?

An infographic that explains how the NPDB works to protect the public.

The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) is a web-based repository of reports containing information on medical malpractice payments and certain adverse actions related to health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers. Established by Congress in 1986, it is a workforce tool that prevents practitioners from moving state to state without disclosure or discovery of previous damaging performance.

Federal regulations authorize eligible entities to report to and/or query the NPDB. Individuals and organizations who are subjects of these reports have access to their own information. The reports are confidential, and not available to the public.

The NPDB assists in promoting quality health care and deterring fraud and abuse within health care delivery systems.

Mission

To improve health care quality, protect the public, and reduce health care fraud and abuse in the U.S.

Statutes Governing the NPDB

The NPDB operates by the following laws:

Title IV of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (HCQIA), Public Law 99-660
Section 1921 of the Social Security Act
Section 1128E of the Social Security Act

The NPDB Guidebook serves as a policy manual to inform the U.S. health care community and others about the requirements established by these statutes. See the Legislations and Regulations for more information.

For a detailed history of the NPDB, see the NPDB Timeline.