Healthcare Sanction Search

Sanction searches are popular ways to screen potential employees for undesirable histories, but how do they work, and what do they mean for the healthcare industry?

Sanction Search

A sanction search is when your organization uses government databases to ensure that potential employees are qualified to work in your specified field. For example, the Office of Foreign Assets Control provides one of the most popular search engines and checks that your applicant has no history of terrorism, arms dealing, etc. With that said, this search is not applicable to every industry or organization.

Each sanction search is designed to allow organizations to screen their applicants and ensure that they’re hiring only qualified, responsible employees. For this reason, each sanction search will look different based on the industry your organization is operating within. With this in mind, what can you expect from a healthcare sanction search.

If your organization regularly hires physicians or nurses, you’ll want to utilize a sanctions search to ensure that any potential employees are licensed to practice medicine with your organization. Moreover, government funded programs like Medicare require all new medical staff to be screened using a sanction search.

What kinds of things does a healthcare sanctions search look for? In short, it will allow your organization to verify that any applicants are licensed to practice medicine in your region and in the appropriate fields. This search will take date from a variety of sources, including licensing boards at the federal and state levels. This will allow you to see any pertinent problems an applicant has been responsible for since beginning their career in the healthcare field.

On a typical sanction search, you’ll be looking for things like letters of reprimand, any instances of probation and/or exclusions in how your applicant can practice medicine.