Database of dangerous caregivers incomplete

Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein of ProPublica reported on big gaps in a federal database that is supposed to alert hospitals to disciplinary actions against health care providers across the country.  Over two decades ago, Congress "ordered up a national database allowing hospitals to check for disciplinary actions taken anywhere in the country against nurses, pharmacists, psychologists and other licensed health professionals."  That database becomes available on March 1, but this investigation shows that it is missing thousands of serious disciplinary actions.  The story ran in The Los Angeles Times.