Background checks are a vital part of any business. The Sentencing Report states that as many as 1 in 3 Americans have some criminal record. But when it comes to healthcare, background checks are more important because of the sensitive nature of the industry.
Every patient has the right to feel safe and secure when receiving medical attention or treatment for a condition. They want to know that their health professional is taking all precautions necessary to ensure their safety and well-being during their visit.
Background checks serve this purpose by providing information about an applicant’s history to determine if there are any red flags or questionable areas that might need further investigation before making a final hiring decision.
Why Are Background Checks Necessary in the Healthcare Sector?
Background checks in the healthcare industry are essential for multiple reasons.
Enhancing Patient Safety
Background checks are essential to patient safety, as they help prevent the wrong people from being hired at healthcare facilities. Hiring someone with a criminal record can lead to dangerous situations.
For instance, patients admitted to the hospital are easily vulnerable to sexual abuse as they are weak, and healthcare professionals might abuse them, saying that they are simply examining. Such scenarios can cause severe trouble.
Consider the example of New Hampshire state. Based on the data from the SafeHome research, the state has 188 registered sex offenders per 100,000 residents. While this is less compared to some other states, the numbers go up when it comes to rapes. New Hampshire witnesses 40 rapes per 100,000 people, which is higher than many other states.
Hence, background checks have become vital for professionals in this industry. If you own a healthcare facility or are a human resource professional at one, you can get help from background checks service providers.
A provider specializing in New Hampshire background checks will thoroughly examine the potential employee’s entire background. This will help you rest assured that you are hiring the right candidates with a clean record and can hope for quality service for your patients.
Ensuring Regulatory Compliance
Background checks are required by many state and federal laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The regulations in HIPAA can be complex and challenging to understand. However, one thing is clear. Background checks are essential for ensuring compliance with HIPAA.
Moreover, HIPAA also has regulations on how you use patient data. If you hire the wrong employees, they might help cyber attackers steal your patient’s data. This can have legal consequences. Moreover, you will also face financial consequences. According to an IBM report, the average cost of a data breach in the USA is $9.44 million. Hence, preventing cyberattacks by avoiding employees with criminal backgrounds is vital.
Lowering the Risks of Malpractice Suits
Background checks help to ensure that healthcare professionals are appropriately trained and qualified. Background checks can also help to prevent negligent hiring, which can be very expensive for both the employer and the employee. In fact, malpractice suits are a risk to any business since they can cost you quite a bit of money in court fees and settlements.
For example, if an employee is into drug abuse, he or she might give the wrong dose to the patients. After all, drug abuse is a common problem across the nation. According to the official website of the White House, roughly 20 million Americans are in recovery from substance use disorder.
Such scenarios can lead to medical malpractice lawsuits that can devastate your business. The CT Medical Malpractice Report shows that $844,146 was the average settlement amount paid in malpractice cases over the past five years. Although your insurer will pay this amount, it will significantly impact your brand’s reputation.
How to Find a Reliable Background Checks Provider for Your Healthcare Business?
The background check service industry is growing, with an estimated valuation of $4 billion in 2022, according to IBIS World. The data hint towards the increasing number of background check service providers. With so many options available, how will you choose a reliable background check service provider for your healthcare business? Well, here are some tips to help:
Check Company’s Website
Background check services are a great way to help ensure that the people you work with are trustworthy and have the necessary skills for the job. But how do you know which background check service provider is reliable?
One way to figure this out is to look at their website. If they have a website, that’s a good sign. A good web presence shows that they take pride in their business and want to attract new customers.
Another thing to look for is how many resources they offer on their page. Some companies will only offer basic information about themselves and what they provide and some FAQs, while others may include videos or even blogs posted by their employees. The more content they have on their site, the more likely they will be able to provide quality services because they have more resources available for customers who want more information before deciding whether or not they want to hire them.
Find Out About the Company’s Experience
To start with, many different types of background checks are available for different engagement levels. Depending on what level of access you require from your new employee during their time at your company, you can opt for more or less invasive forms of vetting.
Looking at the company’s experience will help determine if the service provider can offer the kind of thorough background checks you want. Many employees will add wrong information to their resumes. A 2020 survey by Checkster shows that 78% of the respondents admitted to misrepresenting themselves in their resumes. Hence, a background check service provider should be experienced enough to detect misrepresentations.
Go Through Company Reviews
A background check service provider can be a valuable resource for healthcare organizations. When trying to find one, you’ll want to look for one with a strong track record of providing accurate and reliable information about candidates.
You’ll want to ask about the company’s customer satisfaction rate. You can find these through reviews. The service provider’s previous customers would have left reviews about their satisfaction on their website or other sites like Yelp. A report by BrightLocal states that 67% of consumers will leave a review after a positive experience with a brand.
Another thing to consider would be how long the company has been in business and how many employees they have working for them. The more experienced and knowledgeable staff members there are at a company like this, the better.
Conclusion
We hope this blog post has helped you understand why background checks are important for healthcare providers and how to find a reliable provider. Knowing where to start with this process can be difficult, so we recommend researching before choosing the right company. It’s also important to feel confident with the provider. They will handle personal information about your employees and staff members.
