Pre-Employment Background Checks for Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Companies

In a medical or pharmaceutical setting, the stakes are high. Conducting proper pre-employment background checks for physicians, nurses and others (including mandatory OIG and/or FDA searches) helps to:

  • Protect Patient Safety – Screen a wide range of people that interact with patients. Can include direct care workers (physicians and nurses) as well as staff and volunteers.
  • Maintain Quality of Care – Verify applicants’ education, certifications and experience.
  • Safeguard Reputation – Protect the reputation of the hospital, nursing home or medical center, and guard against negligent hiring lawsuits.

Common Background Checks Requested:

Healthcare Professional Background Checks

Be sure that physicians, nurses and other technical staff members have the credentials they claim, and that they are in good standing. Check practice histories for sanctions and debarments. A criminal record search, sex offender search, OIG search and drug screening are often undertaken for physicians, nurses, nurses’ aides and other direct care employees or volunteers.   Check employment history to avoid hiring unreliable employees.

Pharmaceutical Professional Background Checks

A criminal record search, FDA (Federal Debarment) search, OIG search, sex offender search and drug screening are often undertaken for those employees employed in the pharmaceutical industry.   Check education and employment history to ensure that an applicant has the appropriate background and level of experience for the position. Conduct reference checks for pharmaceutical sales candidates to avoid hiring problem employees.

Healthcare and Pharmaceutical companies may also wish to conduct other background searches such as motor vehicle record (MVR) searches and E-Verify searches.