[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 21447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08080]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


National Practitioner Data Bank Temporary Waiver of User Fees for 
Eligible Entities

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to its authority under federal regulations for the 
National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), HRSA's Division of Practitioner 
Data Bank announces a temporary waiver of user fees for NPDB queries 
from March 1, 2020, through May 31, 2020, to support our eligible 
entities in making credentialing, hiring, privileging, and licensing 
decisions in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. The waiver includes all 
one-time queries and continuous queries during the waiver time period. 
Fees for self-queries will not be waived. The NPDB is a confidential 
information clearinghouse created by Congress and is intended to 
facilitate a comprehensive review of the professional credentials of 
health care practitioners, entities, providers, and suppliers. In 
response to President Trump's declaration of a national emergency and 
associated emergency declarations by all states, the federal 
government, state governments, and many health care entities have taken 
unprecedented steps regarding licensure portability and the deployment 
of health workforce resources, including the expansion of telemedicine 
and granting of disaster privileges. HRSA's NPDB is in a unique 
position to temporarily waive fees, granting NPDB access to the 
nation's hospitals, health centers, health plans, state licensing 
boards, federal agencies, and other eligible health care entities in 
support of their efforts to mobilize and appropriately deploy health 
workforce professionals.

DATES: The NPDB waiver is effective immediately, but will have 
retroactive effect to March 1, 2020, and will remain in effect through 
May 31, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Loewenstein, Director, Division 
of Practitioner Data Bank, Bureau of Health Workforce, HRSA, (301) 443-
2300, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NPDB will waive fees retroactively from 
March 1, 2020, through May 31, 2020, for eligible entity queries (one-
time query and continuous query). The NPDB will not refund the cost of 
queries performed, but can issue query credits to reimburse entities 
for one-time and continuous queries performed beginning March 1, 2020. 
Regulations regarding the NPDB are codified at 45 CFR part 60.

Thomas J. Engels,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-08080 Filed 4-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P