There are more than 16 million people working in the healthcare industry in the United States, according to the Occupational Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it is critical that organizations that employ them perform their due diligence to ensure 1. Proper licensing, 2. A clean history with the licensing board and 3. That they are not excluded from any state or federal programs. A thorough screening of prospective hires, current employees and contracted businesses can help keep patients safe, but a failure to do so can result in penalties from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is critical for healthcare organizations to check candidates against databases, such as the Federal Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE). In addition to tracking updates to regulatory requirements and exclusion lists, it is equally important to maintain a process designed to mitigate compliance risk and ensure the quality of care.
