National Practitioner Data Bank (NPBD) report

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Specializes in Family Practice Nurse Practitioner.

Hi All, I am in desperate need of your wisdom. I am a 30 year veteran RN and 25 year veteran Family NP. I was reported to the NPDB by my former employer, a telehealth company, for an "ethics violation". My prior record was squeaky clean BTW. The incident involved an elderly woman requesting "pain medicine to sleep" 5 weeks s/p foot fracture. She was seen and treated by an outside ortho. She made comments about drinking wine to help her sleep. I offered OTC pain meds, heat/ ice and advised her to go back to her treating ortho. She had some back pain, so I wrote an RX for methocarbamol. After much thought, I cancelled the RX because I grew really uncomfortable with her comments about drinking alcohol and the possibility if she called her ortho that she would receive opioids. She wrote a scathing review in which she lied about our visit. Her anger scared me. I was terminated without due process, which doesn't bother me as much as the NPDB report, which I have disputed.  I want my name cleared so I can get a new job and move on with my career. I landed an interview with a company I am really excited about. When do I disclose the NPDB report? Was cancelling the RX a reportable ethics violation? Will I ever work again? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to pursue legal action against the former employer.

Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

Sorry this happened to you. We're probably the same age and length of NP career though I have been in Acute Care the whole time. It is just frustrating how the "customer service" focus of healthcare has taken the common sense thinking and professional judgement away from providers. That  a one-sided "review" of a patient can sway corporate decisions about who is a good provider and who is not is ridiculous at best.

I have no experience with how to expunge NPDB records but I imagine there are lawyers familiar with the process and if I were you, I would explore that avenue. I remember early in my career that this was one of the arguments for carrying your own as your employer could be the adversary too in some situations as what we saw in your case.

Good luck and don't give up.

Specializes in Family Practice Nurse Practitioner.

Thanks Corey for your insight and support. I am retaining a lawyer and will speak with him this week.

 

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