Hiring healthcare employees without conducting proper background checks, could face serious legal issues and harm patients. These risks can lead to medical malpractice claims and settlements that can cost your company a lot of money.
Conducting a thorough background check on every prospective employee before hiring them for your medical facility or practice is important. This will help you to avoid legal liability and build trust with your patients.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is a legal term that refers to any act or omission by a doctor, nurse, physical therapist, pharmacist, or another healthcare professional that deviates from the profession’s standards and causes injury to a patient. Patients who believe a medical professional has harmed them can file a lawsuit to seek compensation for their damages.
In most instances, a claim for medical malpractice is filed by an injured patient or their family member in a state trial court that has jurisdiction over the case. Sometimes, a malpractice suit may be moved to a federal court.
Companies that provide background check solutions, like Sterling Check, can confirm a prospective employee’s credentials, education, and employment history. Verifying a candidate’s credentials, including their employment authorization in your state and their level of education, will help you decide whether they are qualified for the position. A background investigation can show whether a former company has ever disciplined a potential employee.
Patient Abuse
When hiring healthcare employees, it’s important to remember that they may interact with patients. New hires could risk patient safety and security if they’re not properly screened for criminal history and other risks, whether in an office, on the floor, or in a hospital.
Hiring someone who’s convicted of crimes can put your practice in danger from lawsuits, and it can also harm your brand. For instance, an employee convicted of identity theft or credit card theft can steal sensitive information and harm your business.
Additionally, a background check will help you identify applicants with criminal backgrounds that might prevent them from receiving federal funds through Medicare or Medicaid. This search will also reveal if an applicant has been excluded from participating in government-funded programs like social security and disability.
In addition, a thorough background check will help you avoid candidates who have been fired from previous jobs because of negligence or severe mistakes. This can help you reduce the number of potential liability issues that could arise and build trust with your patients.
Nurses and other healthcare professionals can also protect their clients from abuse by establishing a system of checks and balances, providing proper training on patient care and handling, clearly communicating their responsibility to patients, instructing staff members on procedures to follow up on abuse accusations and creating a patient-centered environment in institutional settings.
Negligent Hiring
Hiring employees who are unfit for their job may cause a business to face negligence claims. In these cases, the company is liable for the damage caused by the employee’s actions, such as injury to employees or customers.
The risk of negligent hiring can be avoided by following a few simple practices that can help your business prevent negligent hiring and protect you in case you are subject to such a lawsuit. You can do this by thoroughly researching all your candidates before placing them with your organization.
For example, healthcare organizations should never hire an applicant who is a repeat offender. A background check can quickly show this, and the healthcare provider should immediately refuse the applicant’s employment.
In addition, healthcare organizations should ask applicants to provide employment verifications. This will reveal the dates, locations, and details of the applicant’s past job. It can also help you avoid a negligent hiring claim by identifying potential issues with the applicant’s history.
These screening tools are the best way to prevent negligent hiring and ensure you are not subject to negligence claims. By utilizing detailed criminal history searches, sex offender registry checks, resume verifications, and other background investigations, you can ensure that all your applicants are thoroughly screened and qualified for their job.
Fraud
As with all industries, the healthcare sector is subject to constant changes and evolving standards. This means that a healthcare organization’s hiring practices must always reflect the current law and regulations. A professional background screening service can help you meet the requirements.
A healthcare employer can use criminal history reports and reference checks to determine if an applicant has a history of dishonesty or poor previous performance. This will prevent future legal issues and build trust with patients.
It is critical to conduct background checks on all new hires, including full-time staff, part-time and hourly employees, volunteers, interns, fellows, and temporary or visiting nurses. If an employee has access to patients, medications, or sensitive information, their failure to perform a thorough background check may place your organization in legal jeopardy.
A healthcare facility can save time and money by relying on a reputable background screening provider. In addition to obtaining criminal history reports, a good screening provider can verify the employment and education of applicants, as well as their professional licenses and credentials. They can even perform a federal exclusion search to identify individuals barred from working in the healthcare industry.