Emily Clarke

Why It's Important for the Health Industry to Do Watchlist Checks

Most people associate in-depth background checks with the financial industry. Banks must go through many steps to prevent fraud and comply with AML regulations. But it's not just financial industries that need to look deeper into a person's background.

The healthcare industry has many federal regulations, too. They help ensure that practitioners are in good standing, protecting patients and other providers.

What is a Sanction Check?

Sanction checks are a unique form of identity verification and screening. It provides more insight into a practitioner's medical background. These checks search over a thousand government sources for penalties, suspensions, and disciplinary actions against the provider.

Generally, a check would provide detailed reasoning behind the sanction and the board that took steps to take disciplinary action. It should also let you know if the issue is currently active or if it's settled.

The goal is to help healthcare organizations hire the best providers and uncover any truths not discussed in a resume or interview. Furthermore, checks like this can avoid potential issues that affect the entire organization and the safety of patients.

Hiring sanctioned providers can sometimes revoke eligibility for Medicare, Medicaid, and other vital federal programs. Not only that, but healthcare organizations that fail to do their due diligence may have to pay hefty fines of up to $10,000 per day the sanctioned individual worked. That's not even mentioning the reputational hit that affects your organization and other staff. For more information on sanction check and specialized screening, visit this identity verification solutions website.

What Does a Sanction Check Tell You?

These checks look through numerous government resources. However, the most critical information typically comes from the Federal Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) Exclusion list, the System for Award Management, and the Office of Foreign Asset Control.

There are many reasons a practitioner could end up on one of these lists. Typically, it's due to illegal behavior or patient abuse and neglect. For example, they often include providers convicted of Medicare or Medicaid fraud, those guilty of mishandling controlled substances, and practitioners convicted of healthcare fraud.

The OIG prohibits healthcare organizations from hiring practitioners excluded from participating in federal programs. As a result, watchlist checks are paramount to avoid fines and keep healthcare organizations safe.

Author Resource:-

Emily Clarke writes about identity verification and business verification service. You can find her thoughts at id verification app blog.