Physician Compare- Discussion Post

Review the Problem: Content for Physician Compare section in Furrow et al.; Chapter 4 to complete the discussion.

The Secretary has the discretion to add information to the Physician Compare site beyond what is required in the ACA. Should the Secretary include disciplinary information provided by the state medical boards? If so, should it include complaints and investigations as well as final disciplinary actions? Should the Secretary include information on denial, limitation, or revocation of staff privileges? Should the Physician Compare website include malpractice filings, settlements, or judgments? In other words, should the Secretary incorporate the information that is now collected in the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) which is not open to the public? (See discussion of the NPDB in Chapter 2.) Was the failure to mention the NPDB simply a legislative oversight? Or is the ACA quietly deemphasizing the NPDB?