An Ohio hospital system's plans to report physician-investors in a new surgical hospital to the National Practitioner Databank do not conform with federal law, a databank official says.
OhioHealth, a hospital system in Columbus, will report physicians investing in nearby New Albany Hospital to the databank if they do not relinquish their credentials by the end of January.
But Mark Pincus, acting director of policy for the division of the National Practitioner Databank, says federal law only requires hospitals to report physicians who are dismissed and pose harm to patients. The law states that providers will be reported to the databank based on a physician's or dentist's professional competence or professional conduct that adversely affects or could adversely affect the health or welfare of a patient.
OhioHealth says the New Albany Hospital will harm the system by taking away income that is used to underwrite money-losing community services.
Recently letters were sent to about 30 physicians listed as founders on the New Albany Web site, instructing them to relinquish their OhioHealth credentials by Jan. 31 or they will lose them and be reported to the databank.
David Morehead, M.D., chief medical officer for OhioHealth, says the system will not aggressively try to uncover investing physicians, but it will remove credentials if an investment "comes to light." If investing physicians do not come forward, Morehead adds that when all OhioHealth physicians reapply for privileges, which occurs every two years, they will also be asked to sign a statement that they do not have an investment.
AMC/NOMA is on record as opposing economic credentialing.