§ 1396r–2 — Information Concerning Sanctions Taken By State Licensing Authorities Against Health Care Practitioners And Providers

(a) The requirement referred to in section 1396a(a)(49) of this title is that the State must provide for the following: (A) The State must have in effect a system of reporting the following information with respect to formal proceedings (as defined by the Secretary in regulations) concluded against a health care practitioner or entity by a State licensing or certification agency: (i) Any adverse action taken by such licensing authority as a result of the proceeding, including any revocation or suspension of a license (and the length of any such suspension), reprimand, censure, or probation. (ii) Any dismissal or closure of the proceedings by reason of the practitioner or entity surrendering the license or leaving the State or jurisdiction. (iii) Any other loss of license or the right to apply for, or renew, a license by the practitioner or entity, whether by operation of law, voluntary surrender, nonrenewability, or otherwise. (iv) Any negative action or finding by such authority, organization, or entity regarding the practitioner or entity. (B) The State must have in effect a system of reporting information with respect to any final adverse action (not including settlements in which no findings of liability have been made) taken against a health care provider, supplier, or practitioner by a State law or fraud enforcement agency. (2) The State must provide the Secretary (or an entity designated by the Secretary) with access to such documents of a State licensing or certification agency or State law or fraud enforcement agency as may be necessary for the Secretary to determine the facts and circumstances concerning the actions and determinations described in such paragraph for the purpose of carrying out this chapter. (b) The information described in subsection (a)(1) shall be provided to the Secretary (or to an appropriate private or public agency, under suitable arrangements made by the Secretary with respect to receipt, storage, protection of confidentiality, and dissemination of information) in such a form and manner as the Secretary determines to be appropriate in order to provide for activities of the Secretary under this chapter and in order to provide, directly or through suitable arrangements made by the Secretary, information— (1) to agencies administering Federal health care programs, including private entities administering such programs under contract, (2) (3) to State agencies administering or supervising the administration of State health care programs (as defined in section 1320a–7(h) of this title), (4) of this title with respect to eligible organizations reviewed under the contracts, but only with respect to information provided pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(A), (5) to State law or fraud enforcement agencies, (6) to hospitals and other health care entities (as defined in section 431 of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 [42 U.S.C. 11151]), with respect to physicians or other licensed health care practitioners that have entered (or may be entering) into an employment or affiliation relationship with, or have applied for clinical privileges or appointments to the medical staff of, such hospitals or other health care entities (and such information shall be deemed to be disclosed pursuant to section 427 [42 U.S.C. 11137] of, and be subject to the provisions of, that Act [42 U.S.C. 11101 et seq.]), but only with respect to information provided pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(A), (7) to health plans (as defined in section 1320a–7c(c) of this title); 1 (8) to the Attorney General and such other law enforcement officials as the Secretary deems appropriate, and (9) upon request, to the Comptroller General, (c) The Secretary shall provide for suitable safeguards for the confidentiality of the information furnished under subsection (a). Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the disclosure of such information by a party which is otherwise authorized, under applicable State law, to make such disclosure. (1) With respect to information reported pursuant to subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall— (A) provide for disclosure of the information, upon request, to the health care practitioner who, or the entity that, is the subject of the information reported; and (B) establish procedures for the case where the health care practitioner or entity disputes the accuracy of the information reported. (2) Each State licensing or certification agency and State law or fraud enforcement agency shall report corrections of information already reported about any formal proceeding or final adverse action described in subsection (a), in such form and manner as the Secretary prescribes by regulation. (e) The Secretary may establish or approve reasonable fees for the disclosure of information under this section. The amount of such a fee may not exceed the costs of processing the requests for disclosure and of providing such information. Such fees shall be available to the Secretary to cover such costs. (f) No person or entity, including any agency designated by the Secretary in subsection (b), shall be held liable in any civil action with respect to any reporting of information as required under this section, without knowledge of the falsity of the information contained in the report. (g) For purposes of this section: (1) The term “State licensing or certification agency” includes any authority of a State (or of a political subdivision thereof) responsible for the licensing of health care practitioners (or any peer review organization or private accreditation entity reviewing the services provided by health care practitioners) or entities. (2) The term “State law or fraud enforcement agency” includes— (A) a State law enforcement agency; and (B) a State medicaid fraud control unit (as defined in section 1396b(q) of this title). (A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the term “final adverse action” includes— (i) civil judgments against a health care provider, supplier, or practitioner in State court related to the delivery of a health care item or service; (ii) State criminal convictions related to the delivery of a health care item or service; (iii) exclusion from participation in State health care programs (as defined in section 1320a–7(h) of this title); (iv) any licensing or certification action described in subsection (a)(1)(A) taken against a supplier by a State licensing or certification agency; and (v) any other adjudicated actions or decisions that the Secretary shall establish by regulation. (B) Such term does not include any action with respect to a malpractice claim. (h) In implementing this section, the Secretary shall provide for the maximum appropriate coordination with part B of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 11131 et seq.) and section 1320a–7e of this title.