PROTECTS Act

This bill (S 2429, PROTECTS Act) expands access to the National Practitioner Data Bank for Medicare and Medicaid providers to conduct employee background checks. It directly affects hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare entities that receive Medicare or Medicaid payments, including providers of services and suppliers. The key change amends the Social Security Act to explicitly allow these expanded entities to use the Data Bank, which tracks professional misconduct by healthcare workers. This policy change clarifies and broadens existing rules for background checks without altering the Data Bank's existing purpose or scope.