许多医院和医疗保健组织遵循联合委员会制定的标准和/或其他行业标准，同时对希望在其设施中执业的医生进行认证。然而，仅仅通过检查医疗执照和验证他们的教育和工作经历来认证候选人可能还不够。医院和医疗保健组织可以采取简单而重要的步骤，通过将彻底的认证计划与深入的医疗保健背景筛查计划相结合，减少疏忽的认证、对患者和员工安全的风险以及损害品牌的可能性。
法律先例表明需要更彻底的筛选
在 1998 年具有里程碑意义的法庭案件中，罗梅罗诉哥伦比亚，原告起诉一名外科医生在常规疝气手术中存在不当行为，导致失血过多和心脏病发作。在法律程序中，据透露，在手头的案件之前，违规医生已被起诉 11 次。事件发生前两个月，该外科医生在另一家州内医院的特权已被暂停。由于外科医生对这家前医院下达了限制令，新医院并不知道这次停办。
在法庭上，目前的医院辩称，其认证过程“非常完整”，但由于没有尽职调查显示出严格的过程，并且在筛选过程中没有记录这么多负面事件，医院被认定有责任。医院总共支付了 2320 万美元的损失。负责此案的麻醉师也应承担赔偿责任。
在这种情况下，医院越来越多地承担医生责任问题的责任。如果认证过程似乎不完整、不充分或不存在，受伤的原告可能会因医疗事故而向医院求助。
将认证与完整的背景调查相结合
认证是确保医生胜任的最佳实践和重要过程，但将风险降至最低的最佳方法是医院将强大的认证计划与强大而全面的背景筛查计划相结合。对于医院而言，完整记录认证和背景筛选程序以在法律诉讼期间建立追索权也是一种最佳做法。
可以在常规背景调查中发现可以从传统认证过程中漏掉的重要信息。
在有效的医疗保健背景调查中寻找什么
为帮助降低医疗认证风险，请确保您的背景筛查计划包括以下检查：
1. 显示贪污、欺诈或吸毒的犯罪记录
2. 司机违规行为，例如 DWI 或 DUI 以及其他罚款和处罚
3. 工作经历或专业推荐信中的差距，在认证过程中未提及或披露
4. 地址检查揭示医生已获得执照的所有执业州，以及尚未披露的先前医疗实践的任何问题
5. 虐待和性犯罪者登记检查以识别潜在的有害行为
医疗背景调查对医院和医疗机构的好处
包括这些背景调查最佳实践有助于在未来的诉讼中保护医院或医疗保健组织。这些信息还可以识别医生不合适的生活方式，不良的生活方式往往会导致无能和医疗事故。这种更严格的筛选过程也能获得更高质量的医生，从而提高患者护理水平，并在患者、医生和捐赠者中获得更高的声誉。
health care background screening program.
Legal precedent shows a need for more thorough screening
In a landmark 1998 court case, Romero vs. Columbia, a plaintiff sued a surgeon for malpractice during a routine hernia surgery that resulted in an extreme loss of blood and a heart attack. During the legal process, it was revealed that the offending physician had been sued 11 times prior to the case at hand. The surgeon's privileges from another in-state hospital had been suspended two months prior to the incident. Due to a restraining order that the surgeon had placed on this former hospital, the new hospital was unaware of this suspension.
In court, the current hospital argued that its credentialing process was "of the utmost integrity," but without the due diligence showing a rigorous process and with so many negative incidents undocumented during screening, the hospital was found liable. In total, the hospital paid $23.2 million in damages. The anesthesiologist who worked on the case was also held responsible for damages.
As in this case, hospitals are increasingly being held responsible for physician liability issues. Plaintiffs that are injured may have legal recourse on the hospital for malpractice if the credentialing process seems to be incomplete, inadequate or non-existent.
Combine credentialing with a full background check
Credentialing is a best practice and important process to making sure a doctor is competent, but the best way to minimize risk, is for the hospital to combine a strong credentialing program with a strong and comprehensive background screening program. It is also a best practice for a hospital to fully document the credentialing and background screening procedure to establish recourse during legal proceedings.
Vital information that can slip through the cracks of a traditional credentialing process can be uncovered during a routine background check.
What to look for in an effective health care background check
To help mitigate medical credentialing risk, ensure your background screening program includes these checks:
1. Criminal records showing embezzlement, fraud or drug use
2. Driver violations such as DWI or DUI and other fines and penalties
3. Gaps in work history or professional references that are not called out or disclosed during the credentialing process
4. Address checks that reveal all the practice states physicians have been licensed in, and any issues with prior medical practices that have not been disclosed
5. Abuse and sexual offender registry checks to identify potentially harmful behavior
Benefits of health care background checks for hospitals and health care organizations
Including these background checking best practices helps protect the hospital or health care organization in future lawsuits. The information also could identify a doctor's unsuitable lifestyle, and a bad lifestyle often leads to incompetence and malpractice. This more rigorous screening process also nets higher quality doctors, leading to a higher level of patient care and an elevated reputation among patients, physicians and donors.
Are you doing all you can to reduce health care negligent credentialing risk? Download our complimentary white paper: 10 Best Practices in Background Screening for the Health Care Industry.
