Final answer:
The overlap between the HIPDB and NPDB is handled by merging both databases into a single unified NPDB, thereby eliminating any need for cross-referencing or flagging overlapping data. The merged database serves as a comprehensive resource for checking the credentials and disciplinary history of healthcare providers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) and the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) were separate initiatives aimed at improving healthcare quality, reducing fraud and abuse, and promoting patient safety. However, in 2013, the two databases were officially merged to create a single, more efficient tool for users to check the credentials and disciplinary history of health care providers. Now, the NPDB serves as a consolidated database that contains all the information previously held in both HIPDB and NPDB.
With this merger, there is no overlap handled between separate databases, as they have been combined into a single unified database. Any data that was once cross-referenced between the HIPDB and NPDB is now seamlessly integrated. The NPDB continues to collect and release data for various authorized users, like hospitals, state licensing boards, and other healthcare entities, to ensure that practitioners are qualified and eligible to provide healthcare services without restrictions due to prior misconduct or incompetence.