Corporate Compliance

Gov’t audit insider 3/9/04: SNFs: Don’t get lazy with background checks

Healthcare Auditing Weekly, March 9, 2004

A nursing facility in Georgia that recently underwent an Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit of it staffing practices, met all of the agency's expectations with one important exception: an employee who had not received a background check had direct care contact with residents, the OIG says. A new study will begin this year in 10 states to help skilled nursing facilities improve background checking, according to a mandate in the Medicare reform law.

To review Mountain View Community Living Center's staffing practices, the OIG did the following:

  • Compared staffing practices at the facility to state and federal requirements

  • Reviewed background data on Mountain View on CMS's Nursing Home Compare Web Site for deficiencies and staffing information

  • Checked staffing schedules and payroll records to confirm that the facility's direct care hours per resident and employee-to-resident ratios were both adequate during three two-week periods

  • Verified licensure and certification requirements for all direct care employees.

  • Determined whether all employees were in good standing

  • Reviewed the general survey process and analyzed the two most recent surveys at Mountain View

  • Worked with the administrator of the facility to familiarize auditors with Mountain View's policies and procedures for recruiting and retaining staff

    While all 74 of Mountain View's direct care staff were in good standing, the facility had granted one staff member direct care access without first undergoing a background check, the audit showed. The OIG recommended that the facility strengthen its internal controls.

    Don't let the OIG catch you slacking on background checks. It's illegal to allow employees who haven't received a check to interact directly with residents, so get going and protect yourself from audit crackdowns, and protect your patients from unsafe staff.

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