Nebraska Reporting Statute

The information on this page was last updated by Horty, Springer & Mattern on August 21, 2024.

NEBRASKA

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Neb. Rev. Stat. §44-2803. Health care provider, defined.

Health care provider means: (1) A physician; (2) a certified registered nurse anesthetist; (3) an individual, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, association, facility, institution, or other entity authorized by law to provide professional medical services by physicians or certified registered nurse anesthetists; (4) a hospital; or (5) a personal representative as defined in section 30-2209 who is successor or assignee of any health care provider designated in subdivisions (1) through (4) of this section.

§44-2835. Malpractice claim; settled or adjudicated to final judgment; report; contents; forwarded to Department of Health and Human Services.

(1) Each malpractice claim settled or adjudicated to final judgment against a health care provider under the Nebraska Hospital-Medical Liability Act shall be reported to the director by the plaintiff’s attorney and by the health care provider or his or her insurer or risk manager within sixty days following final disposition of the claim. Such report to the director shall state the following:

(a) The nature of the claim;

(b) The alleged injury and the damages asserted;

(c) Attorney’s fees and expenses incurred in connection with the claim or defense; and

(d) The amount of any settlement or judgment.

(2) The director shall forward the name of every health care provider, except a hospital, against whom a settlement has been made or judgment has been rendered under the act to the Department of Health and Human Services for such action, if any, as it deems to be appropriate under the circumstances.

§38-1,124. Enforcement; investigations; violations; credential holder; duty to report; cease and desist order; violation; penalty; loss or theft of controlled substance; duty to report.

(1) The department shall enforce the Uniform Credentialing Act and for that purpose shall make necessary investigations. Every credential holder and every member of a board shall furnish the department such evidence as he or she may have relative to any alleged violation which is being investigated.

(2) Every credential holder shall report to the department the name of every person without a credential that he or she has reason to believe is engaged in practicing any profession or operating any business for which a credential is required by the Uniform Credentialing Act. The department may, along with the Attorney General and other law enforcement agencies, investigate such reports or other complaints of unauthorized practice. The director, with the recommendation of the appropriate board, may issue an order to cease and desist the unauthorized practice of such profession or the unauthorized operation of such business as a measure to obtain compliance with the applicable credentialing requirements by the person prior to referral of the matter to the Attorney General for action. Practice of such profession or operation of such business without a credential after receiving a cease and desist order is a Class III felony.

(3) Any credential holder who is required to file a report of loss or theft of a controlled substance to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration shall provide a copy of such report to the department. This subsection shall not apply to pharmacist interns or pharmacy technicians.

§38-1,125. Credential holder except pharmacist intern and pharmacy technician; incompetent, gross negligent, or unprofessional conduct; impaired or disabled person; duty to report .

(1) Except as otherwise provided in section 38-2897, every credential holder shall, within thirty days of an occurrence described in this subsection, report to the department in such manner and form as the department may require whenever he or she:
(a) Has first-hand knowledge of facts giving him or her reason to believe that any person in his or her profession:
(i) Has acted with gross incompetence or gross negligence;
(ii) Has engaged in a pattern of incompetent or negligent conduct as defined in section 38-177;
(iii) Has engaged in unprofessional conduct as defined in section 38-179;
(iv) Has been practicing while his or her ability to practice is impaired by alcohol, controlled substances, mind-altering substances, or physical, mental, or emotional disability; or
(v) Has otherwise violated the regulatory provisions governing the practice of the profession;
(b) Has first-hand knowledge of facts giving him or her reason to believe that any person in another profession:
(i) Has acted with gross incompetence or gross negligence; or
(ii) Has been practicing while his or her ability to practice is impaired by alcohol, controlled substances, mind-altering substances, or physical, mental, or emotional disability; or
(c) Has been the subject of any of the following actions:
(i) Loss of privileges in a hospital or other health care facility due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment or the voluntary limitation of privileges or resignation from the staff of any health care facility when that occurred while under formal or informal investigation or evaluation by the facility or a committee of the facility for issues of clinical competence, unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment;
(ii) Loss of employment due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment;
(iii) An adverse judgment, settlement, or award arising out of a professional liability claim, including a settlement made prior to suit in which the consumer releases any professional liability claim against the credentialed person, or adverse action by an insurance company affecting professional liability coverage. The department may define what constitutes a settlement that would be reportable when a credential holder refunds or reduces a fee or makes no charge for reasons related to a consumer complaint other than costs;
(iv) Denial of a credential or other form of authorization to practice by any jurisdiction due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment;
(v) Disciplinary action against any credential or other form of permit he or she holds taken by any jurisdiction, the settlement of such action, or any voluntary surrender of or limitation on any such credential or other form of permit;
(vi) Loss of membership in, or discipline of a credential related to the applicable profession by, a professional organization due to alleged incompetence, negligence, unethical or unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment; or
(vii) Conviction of any misdemeanor or felony in this or any other jurisdiction.
(2) The requirement to file a report under subdivision (1)(a) or (b) of this section shall not apply:
(a) To the spouse of the credential holder;
(b) To a practitioner who is providing treatment to such credential holder in a practitioner-consumer relationship concerning information obtained or discovered in the course of treatment unless the treating practitioner determines that the condition of the credential holder may be of a nature which constitutes a danger to the public health and safety by the credential holder’s continued practice;
(c) When a credential holder who is chemically impaired enters the Licensee Assistance Program authorized by section 38-175 except as otherwise provided in such section; or
(d) To a credential holder who is providing coaching, training, or mentoring services to another credential holder through a physician wellness program as defined in section 38-1,148 except as otherwise provided in section 38-1,148.
(3) A report submitted by a professional liability insurance company on behalf of a credential holder within the thirty-day period prescribed in subsection (1) of this section shall be sufficient to satisfy the credential holder’s reporting requirement under subsection (1) of this section.

§38-1,126. Report; confidential; immunity; use of documents.

(1) A report made to the department under section 38-1,124 or 38-1,125 shall be confidential.  The identity of any person making such report or providing information leading to the making of such report shall be confidential.

(2) Any person making such a report to the department, except a person who is self-reporting, shall be completely immune from criminal or civil liability of any nature, whether direct or derivative, for filing a report or for disclosure of documents, records, or other information to the department under section 38-1,124 or 38-1,125.

(3) Persons who are members of committees established under the Health Care Quality Improvement Act, the Patient Safety Improvement Act or section 25-12,123 or witnesses before such committees shall not be required to report under section 38-1,124 or 38-1,125. Any person who is a witness before such a committee shall not be excused from reporting matters of first-hand knowledge that would otherwise be reportable under section 38-1,124 or 38-1,125 only because he or she attended or testified before such committee.

(4) Documents from original sources shall not be construed as immune from discovery or use in actions under section 38-1,125.

§38-1,127. Health care facility, peer review organization, or professional association; violations; duty to report; confidentiality; immunity; civil penalty.

(1) A health care facility licensed under the Health Care Facility Licensure Act or a peer review organization or professional association of a profession regulated under the Uniform Credentialing Act shall report to the department, on a form and in the manner specified by the department, any facts known to the facility, organization, or association, including, but not limited to, the identity of the credential holder and consumer, when the facility, organization, or association:

(a) Has made payment due to adverse judgment, settlement, or award of a professional liability claim against it or a credential holder, including settlements made prior to suit, arising out of the acts or omissions of the credential holder; or

(b) Takes action adversely affecting the privileges or membership of a credential holder in such facility, organization, or association due to alleged incompetence, professional negligence, unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment.

The report shall be made within thirty days after the date of the action or event.

(2) A report made to the department under this section shall be confidential. The facility, organization, association, or person making such report shall be completely immune from criminal or civil liability of any nature, whether direct or derivative, for filing a report or for disclosure of documents, records, or other information to the department under this section. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require production of records protected by the Health Care Quality Improvement Act or section 25-12,123 or patient safety work product under the Patient Safety Improvement Act except as otherwise provided in either of such acts or such section.

(3) Any health care facility, peer review organization, or professional association that fails or neglects to make a report or provide information as required under this section is subject to a civil penalty of five hundred dollars for the first offense and a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars for a subsequent offense. Any civil penalty collected under this subsection shall be remitted to the State Treasurer to be disposed of in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska.

(4) For purposes of this section, the department shall accept reports made to it under the Nebraska Hospital-Medical Liability Act or in accordance with national practitioner data bank requirements of the federal Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986, as the act existed on January 1, 2007, and may require a supplemental report to the extent such reports do not contain the information required by the department.

 

§28-435.01. Health care facility; peer review organization or professional association; report required; contents; confidentiality; immunity; failure to report; civil penalty; disposition.

(1) A health care facility licensed under the Health Care Facility Licensure Act or a peer review organization or professional association relating to a profession regulated under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act shall report to the department, on a form and in the manner specified by the department, any facts known to the facility, organization, or association, including, but not limited to, the identity of the credential holder and consumer, when the facility, organization, or association:

(a) Has made payment due to adverse judgment, settlement, or award of a professional liability claim against it or a licensee, including settlements made prior to suit, arising out of the acts or omissions of the licensee; or

(b) Takes action adversely affecting the privileges or membership of a licensee in such facility, organization, or association due to alleged incompetence, professional negligence, unprofessional conduct, or physical, mental, or chemical impairment.

The report shall be made within thirty days after the date of the action or event.

(2) A report made to the department under this section shall be confidential. The facility, organization, association, or person making such report shall be completely immune from criminal or civil liability of any nature, whether direct or derivative, for filing a report or for disclosure of documents, records, or other information to the department under this section. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require production of records protected by the Health Care Quality Improvement Act or section 25-12,123 or patient safety work product under the Patient Safety Improvement Act except as otherwise provided in either of such acts or such section.

(3) Any health care facility, peer review organization, or professional association that fails or neglects to make a report or provide information as required under this section is subject to a civil penalty of five hundred dollars for the first offense and a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars for a subsequent offense. Any civil penalty collected under this subsection shall be remitted to the State Treasurer to be disposed of in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska.

(4) For purposes of this section, the department shall accept reports made to it under the Nebraska Hospital-Medical Liability Act or in accordance with national practitioner data bank requirements of the federal Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986, as the act existed on January 1, 2007, and may require a supplemental report to the extent such reports do not contain the information required by the department.