The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "National Practitioners Data Bank" ...
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Patients in the Dark
The story investigated what patients aren't being told about their doctors, and what they are unable to find out even if they ask. Utah law prevents patients knowing whether a doctor is currently in treatment for substance abuse, or has been in the past, hospital disciplinary history, basic information about malpractice suits etc. The Physicians Licensing Board, meanwhile, seldom severely restricts the practice of even the most troubled doctor, preferring to provide repeated 'second' chances.
Tags: medicine; doctors; malpractice; Utah Physicians Licensing Board; public awareness; Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing; National Practitioners Data Bank
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Special Treatment: Disciplining Doctors
Hospitals and state medical boards across the United States have given physicians repeated chances to keep practicing, despite well-documented alcohol and drug problems. Even doctors that have criminal records do not have their doctor's licenses revoked. This is due partially to the practice that allows doctors to move to another state and start a new job before the paperwork being slowly processed caught up with them. It is also due to loopholes in the National Practitioner Data Bank.
Tags: doctors; doctor's license; alcohol; drug problems; criminal records; National Practitioner Data Bank
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Patients in Peril
This investigation showed how the Virginia Board of Medicine allowed more than 250 doctors - including sex offenders, tax evaders, felons, drug dealers and a convicted murderer -- to hold medical licenses, despite records of grave errors and or misconduct.
Tags: FOIA; National Practitioner Data Bank; medical malpractice; Department of Health Professions; child abuse; child molestation; physicians; pediatrics; pediatrician
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The Cost of Courage
From small community hospitals, to Ivy League medical centers, physicians are increasingly facing retaliation from hospitals for reporting poor care. America's physicians are sworn to protect their patients from harm, but increasingly face a surprising obstacle. Doctors who step forward to warn of unsafe conditions or a colleague's poor work say they have been targeted by hospital administrators or boards. This is done by labeling the physicians "disruptive," then terminating their admitting privileges and listing them in a national data bank, effectively crippling their careers.
Tags: Center Community Hospital; hospital administration; hospital boards; National Practitioner Data Ban; patient care; hospital attorneys; suspension; Cleveland's University Hospitals; physicians; whistleblower physicians; Pennsylvania Medical Society; Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; American Medical Association; Health Care Quality Improvement Act; Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center; Cleveland Clinic; Case Western Reserve University; hospital inspections; VA's Office of Healthcare Inspections
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Military Quacks
Carollo and Nesmith tell the stories of victims of medical accidents and misjudgments involving doctors employed by the U.S. military. "That means the patients were treated in an environment not governed by some of the most significant safeguards that help protect civilians from bad medicine." Under Defense Department rules, such incidents involving military doctors, are not even reported to the National Practitioners Data Bank.
Tags: malpractice claims; doctors; military hospitals; lobbying; public health; legislature
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Bad HMO Doctors
A CBS News investigation examines HMOs' failures to monitor doctors carefully and reveals that some "health plans will even allow doctors with known problems to stay in their networks," although they can easily get information about problem doctors from the National Practitioner Data Bank. The investigation also finds that "many plans use outside, third party companies to re-credential their doctors every 2 years, or whenever state law requires," but "some of these organizations do the minimum number of checks..." The story shows that, as a result, "if issues arise in between credentialing periods, they may never be noted by the HMO."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Health Care; HMO; National Practitioner Data Bank; doctors; malpractice
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White Coats, Dark Secrets: Dangerous Doctors
This series investigates several doctors who, despite multiple malpractice suits and disciplinary action, continue to practice medicine. McIntire and Dolan examine the arguments for and against making the National Practitioner Data Bank, a list of disciplinary actions against doctors, open to the public. The reporters write about several patients who have been permanently damaged or killed in the care of doctor's whose names are in that database.
Tags: malpractice; doctors; National Practitioner Data Bank; medicine; malpractice suits; CAR
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Dr. Nogood
City Paper (Washington, D.C.) reports on how the medical profession protects doctors who routinely make mistakes; finds the National Practitioner Data Bank, which is a repository of critical information about misdiagnoses, mistreatment, and professional misconduct by the nation's doctors, is not accessible to the public.
Tags: doctors; medicine; hospitals; government; practitioner; treatment; diagnosis; malpractice; drugs; prescriptions; surgery; physician; health care