Criminal Background Checks

The recent case of David Kwiatkowski, the traveling radiologic technologist who exposed countless patients to Hepatitis C, shines a spotlight on healthcare employment screening practices in general and those of healthcare staffing firms in particular.  Kwiatkowski allegedly stole Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate used as a post-surgery anesthetic, and replaced the syringes with saline where those needles were then used on patients, infecting them with Hepatitis C.  Working for numerous healthcare staffing companies, this serial infector moved from state to state, harming innocent patien

A recent study funded by the U.S. Justice Department and conducted by Utica College found that "an estimated 92,000 of the 570,000 registered sex offenders nationwide are using the internet to live freely and seemingly undetected." With today's widespread use of social media across all ages, this statistic can be a startling one.

Effective July 1, 2012, House Bill 1033 (HB 1033) restricts employers and criminal history providers from inquiring about and obtaining certain criminal history information. As a result, employers should be aware that background reports may not provide a complete picture about an applicant or employee given the law's restrictions.

As a reputable employer yourself, it probably comes as no surprise that the majority of employers and educational institutions that we contact for verifying applicant history or credentials require that we provide them with an authorization (release) form signed by the applicant before they will provide any information. As people continue to become even more concerned with sensitivity of personal information and maintaining secure data, we are seeing an increasing trend in such requirements.

Ever wonder if there's a best time for submitting your background check order PreCheck recommends a general rule of thumb—the earlier in the day you can send in your request, the better. We don't publish a hard and fast cut-off time because we know that volumes and hiring practices can fluctuate, but we suggest sending in orders during the first half of your day.

Did you know that as of February 2012, 8.3% of the population was unemployed according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics? This has created what is known as an "employers market" where there are far more applicants to choose from to fill empty job positions.

A nurse with a drug addiction was charged with stealing Propofol from the hospital where she worked. Personally identifiable information was stolen and sold by a hospital employee with access to patient files. At the hospital where he was employed, a patient escort sexually assaulted a patient in his care.

These crimes didn't happen at the same hospital, but these are actual cases where those healthcare employers were then asked 1) what they knew about each employee's criminal history 2) when they knew it and 3) what they chose to do with that information.