For the purpose of FTCA deeming, and in accord with PIN 2002-22, the health center’s credentialing list should include all licensed or certified health care personnel employed and/or contracted directly by the health center. This policy applies to all health center practitioners, employed or contracted, volunteers and locum tenens, at all health center sites.
Health centers should continue their existing medical malpractice coverage or purchase such coverage until the deeming application has been reviewed and approved, and a deeming letter has been received by the organization. Keep in mind that FTCA coverage is similar to an occurrence insurance policy and only provides coverage for qualified occurrences that happen during the time the coverage is in effect, regardless of when a claim is filed.
HRSA no longer uniformly provides separate written confirmation of medical malpractice coverage for covered individuals. Health centers are asked to use the Notice of Deeming Action (NDA), together with documentation confirming a covered individual’s employment or contractor status with the deemed entity, to show liability coverage for damage for personal injury, including death, resulting from the performance of medical, surgical, dental, or related functions by PHS employees while acting within the scope of such employment. To access the NDA for your health center via HRSA’s EHB, please follow the steps below:
In limited situations where third parties will not accept the NDA as valid proof of verification, a request can be made to HRSA to provide special verification.
HRSA does not provide a claims history for providers. To obtain a claims history in the form provided by the National Practitioner’s Data Bank, please access their website at: http://www.npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov/