This blog is dedicated to helping readers better understand the value of the background check industry. Oftentimes people consider background checks to be a quick box to check or something that only applies to specific industries or job roles. No matter what industry you’re in, we can guarantee that background checks help to protect your business. Some business owners know the reality of what a bad hire can cost your company, but there are many who don’t, and that’s why we try to demonstrate the many ins and outs of our industry here on the blog.
Today on the blog we wanted to touch on a recent story in the news, which demonstrates why OIG Exclusion Checks are so important.
Who Do You Trust?
Medical professionals are meant to be trusted. Medical professionals hold the keys to ensuring we can live healthy, happy lives, and often hold the balance between life and death. There may not be another role that depends on talent and performance for a more crucial cause than human life. We as a society tend to trust doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. Who is ensuring that they are who they say they are?
OIG HHS
The Office of Inspector General US Dept. of Health and Human Services has a system for ensuring medical professionals who break their oath are marked as a preventative measure from them being employed again in the future. The OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities provides information to the healthcare industry, patients, and the public about individuals currently excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and all other Federal healthcare programs.
Long Island Pill Mill
Recently thanks to the Justice Dept, we are able to see a grim example of WHY we have OIG healthcare exclusion lists. One particular doctor in Long Island was recently charged with illegally prescribing quantities of opioid pills in exchange for cash. When the wrong doctor is given the power of writing medical prescriptions, this not only puts innocent people at risk but also helps the opioid crisis that has ruined so many lives in America.
“Healthcare professionals have a duty to prescribe medication responsibly to ensure the well-being of their patients. Failing to do so puts the health and safety of patients at risk and undermines critical measures to address the opioid epidemic,” said Susan A. Frisco, Acting Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable bad actors who exploit opioid addiction for personal financial gain.”
Opioids are scheduled controlled substances that may be dispensed by medical professionals only for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of a doctor’s professional practice. It is a powerful and highly addictive drug and is frequently abused because of its potency when crushed into a powder and ingested, leading to a heroin-like euphoria.
Could Be Your Doctor
This example is one of many examples of medical professionals disobeying their oath, and taking advantage of their power. We aren’t going to pretend that every doctor is passing out opioids like PEZ candy, but it is a cold reminder of why there are checks and balances in place to prevent individuals like this from ever practicing medicine again.
This doctor was able to get away with what they were doing for a while before being caught, and who knows who was all provided with opioids illegally thanks to this doctor. It is estimated that this doctor made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year cash solely from the cash payments made by patients to obtain their opioid prescriptions. It can be assumed that this doctor took advantage of individuals who were addicted themselves, or could have been providing the pills to other addicts.
This blog today may not apply to a business owner that runs a tree company, or a hiring professional that helps to find top life insurance talent, but it does apply to individuals who work in the medical field. This story is a cold reminder that even the most trusted industry, the medical industry, which is full of amazing people who dedicate their lives to helping others live theirs more healthily and happily, can have a few bad eggs that ruin the reputation for others.
Hopefully, this helps professionals from all industries better understand that there are background check companies out there that are dedicated 100% to preventing your company from hiring the wrong person, which could damage your reputation.
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