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• ABOUT THE DATA BANKS

  • NPDB
  • HIPDB
  • What's New
  • FAQs

• GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Registering
  • Billing and Fees
  • Disputing Reports
  • Querying & Reporting
  • Reporting Codes
  • Section 1921
  • Data Bank Outreach

• QUERYING & REPORTING

  • IQRS Features
  • Using the PDS Prototype
  • Using the QRXS
  • Using the ITP Interface
  • Sample Response Files
  • IQRS Subject Database
  • IQRS User Review Panel

• PUBLICATIONS

  • NPDB Guidebook
  • HIPDB Guidebook
  • Fact Sheets & Brochures
  • Newsletters

• LEGISLATION & POLICIES

  • Federal Register Notices
  • Legislation & Regulations
  • Privacy Policy

• STATISTICAL INFORMATION

  • Annual Reports
  • Public Use Data File
  • Data by Profession & State
• 

Billing and Fees

Fees are charged for all queries to the Data Banks and are based on the cost of processing requests and providing information. Fees are subject to change. Changes are announced by the Secretary of HHS in the Federal Register. Since the Data Banks are a government service, the fee will always be set to the minimum level needed to recover operating costs.

Self-Query

Practitioners, providers, and suppliers may self-query the Data Banks to obtain information on themselves or their organization at any time. Self-query requests from individuals are automatically sent to both the NPDB and the HIPDB to ensure full disclosure. The NPDB does not store reports on organizations; therefore, organization self-queries are sent only to the HIPDB.

Self-Query fees must be paid for by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express). The act of submitting a self-query to the Data Banks is considered an agreement to pay the associated fee. A fee is assessed when the Data Banks processes the query, whether or not there is information on file regarding the subject.

The fee for self-query requests is $8.00 per request for each Data Bank. Individual self-queries are sent to both the NPDB and HIPDB and are assessed a total fee of $16.00. Organizational self-queries are submitted only to the HIPDB and are charged a $8.00 fee. Refer to the table below for query fees:

Query Type	NPDB	HIPDB	Total Assessed Fee
Individual Self-Query	$8.00	$8.00	$16.00
Organization Self-Query		$8.00	$8.00

Entity Query

The entity query fee is levied on a per-name basis. When multiple-name queries are submitted, the number of names in the query is multiplied by the per-name fee. Entities that are registered to query both Data Banks are assessed the current fee for each Data Bank. The act of submitting a query to the Data Banks is considered an agreement to pay the associated fee. A fee is assessed when the Data Banks:

• Processes the query, whether or not there is information on file regarding a subject.
• Rejects the query because it is improperly completed or lacks required information.

The fee for each query submitted by a registered entity is $4.75 per subject queried for each Data Bank.

Query Type	NPDB	HIPDB	NPDB and HIPDB
Individual Entity Query	$4.75	$4.75	$9.50
Organization Entity Query		$4.75

PDS Enrollment Fees

The annual PDS enrollment fee covers the cost of the enrollment of one practitioner in one Data Bank for one year. When an entity initially enrolls a practitioner in the PDS, the entity will receive a copy of any active report(s) that the practitioner may have in the Data Bank(s).

For billing purposes, each practitioner enrolled in a particular month will have an enrollment that expires on the last day of the same month of the following year (i.e., all practitioners enrolled in January 2007 regardless of the exact date of enrollment, have an expiration date of January 31, 2008). The subscription fee is payable at the time of enrollment and enrollment renewal. The annual PDS enrollment fee for each Data Bank will be $3.25, as announced in the Federal Register Notices. This rate is subject to change after the prototype period is complete.

PDS Transaction	NPDB	HIPDB	NPDB and HIPDB
Enrollment	$3.25	$3.25	$6.50
Renewal	$3.25	$3.25	$6.50

Payment Information

Payment is accepted by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) or pre-authorized Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Entities choosing to pay by credit card do not have to make any advance arrangements with the Data Banks. The credit card number, expiration date, cardholder name, and cardholder billing address are entered on the appropriate screen when submitting a query or storing a credit card. Entity Data Bank Administrators can save credit card information for future payments and assign and unassign usage of saved credit cards to specific entity users. Alternatively, credit card information may be entered at the time of query submission or PDS enrollment.

Entities must complete an on-line Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization form available for registered entities through the IQRS, before EFT payments can be processed. Once the completed form is submitted, the Data Banks will set up electronic communications with the entity’s bank. The entity will receive an electronic notification on the Entity Registration Confirmation screen. Once the EFT account is set up successfully, query and PDS charges will then be deducted automatically from the entity’s designated EFT account. The entity does not need to enter EFT information when submitting a query or enrolling a subject in the PDS.

Billing Disputes

If your EFT account information changes (e.g., routing number, bank account information) you may submit the new information through the on-line EFT Authorization. You must ensure that your account information is kept current to avoid interruption of services with the Data Banks.

Make sure that your billing or accounting department is aware that you are using your credit card or EFT account to pay for IQRS fees. If your IQRS fee charges are disputed without contacting the Data Banks, either your EFT account will be terminated or, if you are using a credit card, your Data Bank Identification Number (DBID) could be deactivated.

If you have a question regarding a specific charge, please mail (or fax 703-802-4109) your question to the NPDB-HIPDB, P.O. Box 10832, Chantilly, VA 20153-0832, Attn: Billing Department.

Storing Credit Card Information For Use in the IQRS

Entity Data Bank Administrators may store credit card information in the IQRS (see the Fact Sheet on Maintaining IQRS Credit Cards ). This information may be used for payment by your organization's registered users. As the Entity Data Bank Administrator, you may assign each of your organization's registered users to one specific credit card for IQRS payments. Any entity user also has the option of using the entity's EFT account or a credit card entered at the time of query submission or PDS enrollment. Credit card information will be kept secure; for added protection, only the last four digits of a stored credit card number will be displayed on the screen.

Billing Screens

Entities and agents may view charges on the Billing History screen within the IQRS (see the Fact Sheet on Viewing Billing History Through the IQRS . This screen provides the most current information available for entities and agents to better reconcile charge amounts as they appear on their EFT or credit card statements.

Billing Forms

Either type or print legibly in ink all data requested on the form. All forms must be signed in ink and dated.

• Account Balance Transfer Request
• Account Discrepancy

NPDB-HIPDB Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number

The U.S. Federal Government requires all corporations that it contracts with to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. If your corporation requires the NPDB-HIPDB DUNS number for billing purposes it is: 044007990.

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