Q: How can the Healthcare Professions Profile Program help me as a patient or as a consumer?
A: Reviewing healthcare profiles can help you find a provider that is a good match for your needs and expectations. Information like disciplinary actions in Colorado and other states, criminal convictions, business interests and malpractice insurance settlements or refusals are all reported in a profile. For example, when searching for a healthcare provider, you will be able to see if the provider you are considering has a history of malpractice settlements or has been the subject of a healthcare facility action.
The Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP) system averages over 7,500 public searches for individual records per month by patients and consumers. Additionally, around 2,400 updates and new entries are made by licensees every month. Patients and consumers are encouraged to visit the site frequently and perform searches regularly on their healthcare providers.
Q: Who must complete a Healthcare Professions Profile?
A: Nearly all healthcare professions regulated by the Division of Professions and Occupations are required to complete profiles. This includes professions ranging from physicians to pharmacists. View a complete list of HPPP Professions.
Q: How do I access a profile?
A: To look up a healthcare professional’s profile, visit our Healthcare Professions Profile Program Search Page. This page contains a list of all participating professions.
For more in-depth details on how to read a profile and what to look for on the profile, please visit our How to Read a Profile page.
Q: What if the healthcare professional I am looking for does not have a profile?
A: If the healthcare professional you are looking for does not have a profile, it could mean one of the following things:
- The healthcare professional may not be required to complete a profile yet. Professions that are new to the Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP) typically are not required to create a profile until the renewal of a license.
- Healthcare professionals with expired, inactive, lapsed, or canceled licenses are not required to complete profiles.
If you are having trouble looking up a professional, contact the HPPP at dora_dpo_hppp@state.co.us.
Q: What does it mean if a healthcare professional has a disciplinary action?
A: If a healthcare provider you are considering has a disciplinary action, you are encouraged to review the action. Disciplinary actions may be taken for a number of different reasons including failing to renew a license or something more serious like providing substandard care leading to the serious injury of a patient.
If a healthcare professional has answered “yes” to a profile question regarding disciplinary actions, a link to the disciplinary document should be available. If no document is available, please contact the HPPP at dora_dpo_hppp@state.co.us. This also pertains to profile questions about restrictions or suspensions, convictions, refusal or limitation of malpractice insurance, and DEA registration.
Patients are encouraged to have a conversation with their healthcare professional if they have questions about the information provided in the profile.
Q: Why is the profile for some professions different than others?
A: Each profession’s profile will contain relevant questions to the profession that are required by the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act. Some questions required by the Act do not pertain to all license types. For example, professions like chiropractors, physical therapists and mental health professionals cannot prescribe medications and cannot hold DEA Registrations. Those professions will not have the DEA question included in their profiles.
Q: Why doesn't the professional have an address listed? Only the city, state and zip code are listed.
A: Licensed professionals have the option to select a home address or a business address as their address of record. If an individual has decided to use a home address, that address will not be viewable on the profile. If the professional is practicing in the profession, there will be a location of practice listed in the first profile question.
Q: What is the Healthcare Professions Profile Program?
A: The Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP) is an online database available to help consumers find a healthcare provider that meets their needs and expectations. The program includes profile information for 54 license types and over 225,000 healthcare professionals. As a consumer, it is important to have access to all available information when choosing your healthcare providers.
The HPPP helps consumers make informed healthcare decisions for themselves and their families. Consumers can find information about a healthcare provider including disciplinary actions, restrictions or suspensions, criminal convictions, business interests, and malpractice insurance settlements. Consumers may also find other useful information, such as information about the healthcare professional’s education and training, board certifications, and/or practice specialties.
Q: How did the Healthcare Professions Profile Program start?
A: The law that created the Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP) was championed by Patty Skolnik, a mom whose tragic loss of her son led her to advocate for greater transparency and disclosure by healthcare providers. Her legislative effort resulted in the passage of the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act in 2007. Patty’s son Michael died in 2004 after suffering complications from brain surgery. Later, she learned details about the physician's background that were concerning to her. It was Patty’s belief that if she had been able to research the physician’s background, she would have made different healthcare decisions for her son.
Q: What is the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act?
A: The Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act is the legislation that created the Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP). When it was passed in 2007, the new profile requirement only applied to physicians. The Act required physicians to complete online questionnaires or “profiles”. The intent behind the law was for the consumers in Colorado to have access to information about their physicians in order to make more informed healthcare decisions.
Due to the success of the program for physicians, the Colorado legislature has passed multiple expansions of the Act since 2010. Currently, the profile requirement includes 54 license types and over 225,000 individual licensees.
Q: Who operates the Healthcare Professions Profile Program?
A: The Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP) is administered by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations. The Division of Professions and Occupations (Division) is the same state government agency that licenses and regulates healthcare providers in Colorado. HPPP acts under the direction of the Director of the Division. The Director holds the decision-making authority for the HPPP, meaning the Director may enforce requirements, adopt rules and administer the program according to state law.
The HPPP is staffed by a team that helps the Director carry out these duties. While the information provided in profiles is submitted by the individual licensee, the HPPP staff monitors the program to ensure all information is provided. The HPPP team also processes reports of inaccurate information and issues administrative fines to individuals found to be non-compliant with the requirement.
Q: What if I find out that a healthcare professional did not provide accurate information on a profile?
A: Anyone can report inaccurate profile information to the Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP). If you believe a provider has provided inaccurate information, you can access a report form on the HPPP website and learn more about the process. You can download and fill out the form and submit it to the HPPP via email at dora_dpo_hppp@state.co.us, or you can print the form and mail it to our office at the listed address:
- Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP)
1560 Broadway, Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
To review information about Physician Payments Sunshine Reports, please visit: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services