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Background Checks

Credentialing Resource Center Connection , May 8, 2009

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Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, is a medical staff consultant based in Fayetteville, AR.

Dear readers,

I had received a phone call yesterday from a facility within our system asking if the background checks we run in the central credentialing office were are level II.? I explained that the company we use categorizes them background checks as A, B, or C.  But is it comparable with a level II, she asked again?  The reason she was asking wondering, as it turned out, was because ttThe lLaboratory, was being surveyed and the hospital was to have conducted background checks on the physicians were required to have a criminal background check withthat include finger printing. 

This made me think about the requirements in other states. What does your state require? From the data I was able to find, as of July  1, 2008 (available from the Federation of State Medical boards at http://www.fsmb.org/pdf/GRPOL_Criminal_Background_Checks.pdf), only 22 out of 50 states do requirehave the authority to run criminal background checks; five of that those 22 do not require finger printing. Not manyFew of the state medical boards that do require a background check require both state and federal criminal record checks. Five states that do criminal background checks have legislation requiring it. This is a trend that sometimes puts the obligation on the state licensing boards. Where state licenses are involved, the statute generally requires a criminal history report as a prerequisite to getting an initial license. 

While it is not the role of the state licensing board or the a hospital’s credentialing committee to retry the applicant or second-guess the criminal justice system, it is important that the boards have the background information needed to make an informed decision regarding the conduct and patient safety.   

Remember, those who are afraid to ask are afraid to learn.

All the best,
Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS

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