The Nation : Data Bank to List Incompetent Doctors

Incompetent doctors and other health care providers will be listed in a national data bank that federal officials say will be in operation by next summer, the New York Times reported. Physicians, dentists, therapists and other licensed health professionals nationwide are to be reported to the federally operated National Practitioner Data Bank for matters such as misdiagnosis, mistreatment or professional misconduct, the newspaper said. The clearinghouse would not be open to the public, but only to medical groups such as hospitals and licensing agencies. State medical boards, hospitals, medical societies, insurance companies, peer review committees and courts will be required to report their actions to the Department of Health and Human Services once the data bank begins or pay a $10,000 civil penalty for each unreported action.