Database of Dangerous Caregivers Incomplete, Government Warns

Twenty-two years ago, Congress ordered the creation of a database that it thought could be used to stop dangerous or incompetent caregivers from crossing state lines and potentially harming additional patients. The database is finally set for rollout - but with some serious gaps in information, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.

The database was designed to allow facilities to check for disciplinary actions taken against nurses, pharmacists, psychologists and other licensed health professionals across the country. However, a joint investigation by the Los Angeles Times and ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization, showed that potentially thousands of serious disciplinary actions are currently missing from the database. Some of that missing information is about providers who have harmed patients.

The head of the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have sent letters to the nation's governors asking them for immediate help in helping to fill the gaps in the database. This summer, the federal government will begin publicly listing the names of state agencies that do not comply.

The database is still slated to be rolled out on March 1, but facilities will be warned the information it contains is incomplete.