One might assume that hospitals, nursing homes, and home healthcare agencies do a thorough job of screening employees who will work for them, especially those employees who will care for patients. Most states require background checks for these jobs, and there are even federal requirements for some, e.g., home health aides.

Medical facilities want to make sure that you won’t steal drugs, come to work hung over, crash their vehicles, steal from their patients, or commit a sex offense, among other things. So, they check your employment, financial, and criminal histories. They often check references, too.

But Who’s Doing the Checking?
How reliable and how thorough are the checks that these facilities perform? And who is responsible for doing the checking? Is it a professional with experience in background checks and the corresponding privacy laws?

Some job applicants can be quite unscrupulous when it comes to keeping information off their resume, or some unsavory information might be missed because the check did not go back far enough. Indeed, even former employers may not have reported negative behavior and simply fired the employee. Additionally, you may be breaking the law by asking inappropriate questions or refusing employment for one reason or another.

Insufficient Background Investigations Can Cause Dire Consequences
Indeed, a recent report found that even Veterans Affairs medical facilities did not do a good (or even fair) job of screening employees. Even though they are required to start the background investigation process within 14 days of hire, 6000 employees (6%) of VA medical facilities had not gone through the process. Some had worked for years without a check. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.

Doctors and medical practices, especially small medical practices, are often lacking when it comes to doing background checks on their employees. They are struggling to manage with a limited number of staff members and pre-employment background screening requirements can be a pain—maybe it is left to an inexperienced secretary.

But the pain is much larger if they are caught hiring or contracting an employee who has been “flagged” by the Office of the Inspector General, in the form of litigation, bad publicity, or fines that can be in tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the OIG has recently made a point of going after small medical practices and individual doctors.

But even large hospitals can err in this regard. A good-sized hospital in New Hampshire was recently in the news because a drug-addicted technician was using needles on patients that he himself had used, causing some of these patients to contract hepatitis C. Wouldn’t it have been nice if they knew he had a drug problem before hiring him?

All employees, vendors, and side partners such as drivers should be checked. A good pre-employment background check should include a license check; a criminal background check; a credit check; and an exclusion screening check that looks for individuals with no criminal history but who have been excluded from participation in federal and/or state healthcare programs due to narcotics addiction, defaulting on a student loan, or other reason. Education and references should also be checked. Ideally, a background investigation should be done by a professional.

Post-Hire Background Checks
Something that’s starting to get some buzz in the investigative world is the idea of post-hire background checks on employees. What if an employee has been convicted of domestic or sexual assault since the hire? Or what if an employee has started using drugs, even become addicted? What if your nurse has started drinking heavily since her husband left her and she comes in hung over every day? These things happen. Periodic post-hire drug testing and criminal checks can keep your workplace and your patients safe.

Why Choose The Hire Authority for Your Background Screening?
Be safe, not sorry. At The Hire Authority we are thorough in our screening, which guarantees that you will receive information that is current and relevant. We care about your security and we will work to keep you safe from harm or unnecessary problems.

Hiring nurses and medical staff that have clean records is worth it. While many applicants may have beautiful resumes and a smile on their face, knowing that the ones you hire are honest and responsible individuals is invaluable.

Protect your business and protect your patients by choosing The Hire Authority as your background check and screening provider. You will be glad you did.

We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have and give you a quote. Call (508) 230-5901 or visit our website www.hireauth.com.

The foregoing should not be construed as legal advice. Employers should always consult their own legal counsel for advice on labor and employment matters.