[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 129 (Monday, July 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 40303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14291]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


National Practitioner Data Bank Continues 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 continuation of its temporary waiver of user fees 
for NPDB queries from March 1, 2020, through September 30, 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 announcement published on April 17, 2020 (85 FR 
21447), was effective retroactively from March 1, 2020, through May 31, 
2020. This update continues the waiver through September 30, 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 September 30, 2020, for eligible entity queries 
(one-time query and continuous query). The NPDB will not refund the 
cost of queries performed prior to the announcement of the waiver, but 
will issue query credits to reimburse entities for one-time and 
continuous queries performed and paid for during the waiver period. 
Regulations regarding the NPDB are codified at 45 CFR part 60.

Thomas J. Engels,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-14291 Filed 7-2-20; 8:45 am]
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