Healthcare workers are stealing data from hospitals and healthcare centers. Makes sense. The recent study by the Los Angeles Times and Pro Publica have chronicled how healthcare workers have shirked their background as convicted felons, sex offenders, and substance abusers by moving from state to state and staying one step ahead of the already lax means of scrutiny.
In a recent article in Healthcare IT News, stud shows that only sixty percent of the the respondents claimed they provided proof for employee training, and that only half mandated third party background checks on their employment applicants. Data breaches are on the increase. Seems like that would be logical, given the laxness of oversight and the relatively modest fines and penalties violators face if they are actually caught. Such breaches are the result of anything from stolen laptops to out and out theft of files and other proprietary information.
I blogged about this subject a number of times. I wrote about it in the article, Suspect Care Givers Missed on Healthcare Sanctions Background Checks. The paucity of oversight and the lack of background checks or keeping current by running either the FACIS search to ascertain disciplinary action is really quite remarkable. Healthcare workers are often people dealing with patients who are weak and trusting and in need of trust. It is really not nice to allow someone to gain proximity who would rip off their patients or take their drugs. It is even worse when an enterprising healthcare worker sell medical records to third party conspirators. There are known cases where a celebrity patient’s records are pilfered and sold to the tabloids. Nice.
The healthcare recruiting practice really needs a major overhaul. Enough articles have been written; enough studies have been done. As to when there will be
