Criminal Background Checks

Background checks are a fundamental practice for hospitals to ensure safety amongst patients and staff alike. A highly regulated industry like healthcare is urged to apply more stringent policies due to the fact that lives are at risk every day and patient-sensitive information can be easily accessed.

FBI fingerprint background checks have gained popularity. When it comes to state legislation regarding background screening requirements for healthcare organizations like home health agencies, for example, FBI background checks are one of the most commonly required types of searches. If legislators are consistently requiring them, they must be a comprehensive background check, right?

The topic of background checks on home healthcare workers has received significant attention from the media recently. By now, you’ve probably heard the stories of home healthcare workers who’ve taken advantage of vulnerable elderly patients. In the 2014 OIG Work Plan released in February, the agency declared it would focus on the adverse events occurring in home health facilities across the country.

Are nursing homes a target for criminals? Unfortunately, that’s what it seems. An investigation published last year by USA TODAY yields alarming results; thousands of nursing home residents have had their savings stolen from their trust accounts by business managers, bookkeepers and other staff working at the facility. Considering long-term care providers are trusted to provide a safe environment for our elderly family and friends, how is this possible?

Running background checks on physicians can complement the medical staff services credentialing process, but it never ceases to surprise us when some healthcare organizations share they currently are not conducting background checks on physicians.

Last week we discussed some of the challenges and concerns facing nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities regarding quality of care and patient safety. According to a USA Today article from December 2013, several states are considering bills aimed at increasing oversight and requirements for the home healthcare workforce.

As Product Manager for PreCheck’s healthcare license management system, LicenseManager Pro, I’ve taken the National Association Medical Staff Services’ (NAMSS) Certified Provider Credentialing Specialist (CPCS) training course and am familiar with some of the challenges facing medical staff services managers. While the goals may be quite similar, these are some notable differences between background screening and the credentialing process for medical staff services.

It’s been a few months since I’ve covered the topic of student background checks, when Governor Rick Perry granted schools in Texas authorization to run background checks on students planning to live on campus. With the unfortunate frequency of violent incidents at schools, it makes sense why some states are looking to background screening as means of safeguarding students, faculty and staff.

In the previous installment of Criminal Searches Uncovered we discussed what can be referred to as Criminal Searches 101, or Basics.  We shared the different types of searches that exist, various methods used to perform searches, and that age-old and ever-important topic, how long do searches take to complete.  For today’s edition, however, we aim to take a deeper dive, going to a dark and scary place for some, although we’re well past Halloween, aren’t we? 

On February 4, 2014, PreCheck hosted a webinar presented by Vice President of Compliance, Vu Do, covering 5 background screening best practices for HR. Background screening practices have been placed under increased scrutiny from regulators and it's imperative that healthcare employers have a proactive process in place to mitigate risk and avoid monetary panelaties. This info-packed session can help HR objectively establish or modify employment screening programs to meet industry guidleines. 

Topics Covered in February's Background Check Webinar: