If you run a healthcare company, you know the backbone of that company is going to be your healthcare practitioners. Healthcare professionals have to go through a lot of training in order to take care of patients. At the same time, they are also subject to a lot of oversight. There are strict licensing boards that are in control of whether they even have the opportunity to see patients. Because of this, these boards also maintain detailed records. These records are not necessarily available to the public; however, they could play an important role in your hiring decision. That is why it is important for you to do asanction check when you are trying to decide who to hire for your company. What could you discover if you run this check?
Excluded from Medicare or Medicaid Participation
The US Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General does not allow healthcare organizations to hire a person who has been sanctioned or excluded from participating in federal programs such as Medicare or Medicaid. If someone has been sanctioned or excluded from participation in such federal programs, that is something you will want to know if that person is someone you’re considering hiring.
A History of Patient Neglect or Abuse
You also want to make sure someone you are hiring does not have a history of neglecting or abusing their patients. Doctors and nurses are responsible for the safety and well-being of their patients. If they do not take care of their patients, they could end up losing their licenses. Before you decide to hire a healthcare professional, take a look and see if they had ever been censured for something related to patient abuse or neglect. If that is the case, you may want to think twice about offering that person a position.
A Prior Felony Conviction for Healthcare Fraud
There are numerous other types of healthcare-related fraud as well. Medicare and Medicaid fraud only make up one aspect of this potential crime. Even though healthcare-related fraud is unusual, it is still something you need to investigate. There are people who have a history of financial misconduct when it comes to the healthcare profession. You may even realize someone has a history of that. This is not necessarily something that is going to come up on a traditional background check. On the other hand, it is still something you want to consider during the hiring process.
A Checked Past Related to Controlled Substances
Healthcare professionals are going to be responsible for controlled substances. These substances are dangerous and can be addictive. That is why they are monitored so closely. There is a separate license for which healthcare professionals have to apply at they would like to take care of controlled substances. Anyone who abuses this license could end up losing this privilege. If you need someone to prescribe controlled substances, you need to make sure they do not have a checkered past when it comes to this process. This is a major responsibility and you want to make sure whoever you hire is going to take this seriously.
Do a Thorough Sanctions Check Before Hiring Someone
In the end, it is important for you to do a traditional background check on anyone who you are considering for an open position at your company. On the other hand, if you work in the healthcare field, you need to do more. You are responsible for the lives of your patients. You need to make sure anyone you hire is going to take care of your patients as well. That is why you should do a healthcare sanctions check. There’s a lot that you could uncover during this process. Make sure you have all the information available to you before you decide who you are going to hire.
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