ARTICLE
Background Check Pilot Program for Long-term Care Facilities

A pilot program aimed at combating abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities by improving background checks of potential employees was recently announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS), a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The pilot program mandated by Section 307 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 (PL 108-173) permits the Federal government to enter into agreements with up to 10 states to conduct the pilot program, and provides $25 million in total national funding to conduct the program. CMS, in consultation with the Department of Justice will administer the program.

The goal of the program is to identify best practices for long-term care facilities or providers to conduct background checks on employees with direct access to residents and patients. The program will include nursing homes, home health agencies, hospices, long-term care hospitals, intermediate care facilities for persons with mental retardation, and other entities that provide long-term care services.

"Checking the backgrounds of those applying for jobs involving direct patient care in long-term care facilities is a good way to weed out those individuals who have criminal backgrounds or other disqualifying factors in their histories," said Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD., a CMS Administrator.

The CMS named seven states to participate in the pilot program. The states include Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The pilot programs will operate from January 2005 through September 2007. Pilot states may phase in the implementation of their background check program, but all aspects of the program must be fully operational by March 2006, to allow sufficient data for the evaluation.

Section 307 of the MMA is available for review at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/survey-cert/307.pdf

(source: www.cms.hhs.gov )