Do you trust the physical therapists you hire? They work directly with patients and need to deliver safe care, and they also manage sensitive data. Ensuring you hire the right candidates protects your organization from risk and regulatory disasters.

Checking their resumes isn't enough. After all, data shows that 3 in 5 people have lied on their resumes at least once. To ensure future employees have the right credentials and priorities, conduct a thorough physical therapist background check on all candidates.

Table of Contents

1. What Are Background Checks for Physical Therapists?
2. Why Are Comprehensive Physical Therapist Background Checks Important?
3. How Physical Therapist Background Checks Work
4. Physical Therapist Background Check Requirements
5. How PT Background Check Services Streamline Your Health Care Hiring

What Are Background Checks for Physical Therapists?

Physical therapist background checks are screenings to verify a potential employee's work history, education, relevant experience, and credentials. These comprehensive background checks also include a criminal history record check.

Background checks reveal whether a candidate has the correct education and licensure to be a physical therapist. They can also uncover past criminal offenses that pose risks to your organization and patients.

For example, physical therapists can access sensitive patient information, such as social security numbers. A history of theft or fraud may disqualify a candidate on account of risk to the patients you serve.

Why Are Comprehensive Physical Therapist Background Checks Important?

In late 2020, a physical therapist was sentenced to prison for fraud. Claiming to deliver PT services to patients, the therapist helped other medical professionals rack up $30 million in fraudulent charges. In 2022, a physical therapist was sentenced to four years in prison for patient abuse.

These are just two examples of seriously damaging situations patients and medical organizations have endured. Background checks can help you avoid situations like these while also helping you keep patients safe.

Prioritize Patient Safety & Outcomes

Physical therapists perform hands-on care that involves physically manipulating a patient's body through movement and exercise. A physical therapist without the right know-how and training could hurt their patients instead of helping them heal.

This doesn't just hurt a patient's well-being. It also results in consequences for your organization, such as liability concerns and loss of reputation. Performing a background check and verifying licensure protects your patients (and your facility) from harm.

Build a Safe Working Environment

Not only are you responsible for the safety of your patients, but you're also responsible for protecting your other employees. Failing to do so can result in serious penalties, such as large fines and prison time.

Background checks help you create a safe workplace and avoid these consequences in many ways. For example, a background check can uncover a history of crimes that might endanger those working alongside a candidate.

A background check might also find that a candidate lacks the right credentials, meaning they could use medical equipment incorrectly. The result? Serious safety hazards for the rest of your team.

By uncovering these red flags earlier in the process, you'll reduce risks and build a safer working environment for all.

Reduce Liability & Avoid Regulatory Issues

Background checks reduce the risk of negligent hiring, which holds employers liable for hiring someone they should have known could cause harm to others. Negligent hiring may lead to lawsuits, fines, and reputational damage.

Background checks also help you abide by regulatory requirements. For example, your patients' sensitive information might be at risk if you hire a candidate with a criminal history of identity theft. This places you at risk of failing to abide by privacy rules such as HIPAA, which can result in serious consequences.

Maintain Your Organization's Reputation

Your healthcare organization's reputation directly impacts your success. Negative experiences due to bad hires can harm your reputation, leading to patients seeking care elsewhere.

Recent data shows that 72% of U.S. adults read online patient reviews when deciding on a medical facility or professional. It's easy to see how one negative experience can impact how your organization is viewed in the eyes of patients looking for care.

Reduce Hiring Costs

Hiring employees is expensive. Along with salary and benefits, you can expect to pay a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars to hire and onboard a new employee. And if you hire the wrong one, those resources are lost.

Performing background checks helps you hire the best candidate with the right credentials the first time, saving you time and money.

How Physical Therapist Background Checks Work

There are two specific ways to conduct a background check: on your own or using a background check service.

To conduct a background check yourself, you'll need to reach out to previous employers and educational institutions. You’ll also have to contact your state's licensing board to check for licensure, and take other steps depending on your needs and requirements.

The simplest way to conduct a background check is to contact a third-party service that specializes in healthcare screening. For example, Cisive’s PreCheck completes background screening and performs drug testing, professional license monitoring, exclusion and sanction monitoring, and immunization tracking, all in one place.

Are They Mandatory?

Physical therapists must typically undergo a fingerprint background check to get their license before they can work. In addition, many states require healthcare organizations to perform background checks on employees. It's best to reach out to an attorney or another expert to more fully understand your legal requirements.

It's important to remember that even if background checks aren't mandatory for you, they should be non-negotiable. Patient safety and the health of your organization depend on them.

Who in the Organization Is Responsible for Conducting Them?

If your organization is required to or desires to do background checks, they're typically the responsibility of those in the Human Resources department. Recruiters might complete background checks, or it may fall to individuals tasked with onboarding new hires. Responsibilities will differ among organizations.

Where Do They Gather the Information From?

Background check information comes from a variety of sources, depending on what's included in the screening.

For example, some information will come from the candidate, such as their education and employment history. Those need to be checked against the institutions for verification. Other information will come directly from state and federal records, such as an employee's criminal history.

If you conduct the checks yourself, you'll be tasked with gathering information from these sources on your own. By partnering with a service like PreCheck, that heavy lifting is done for you.

Physical Therapist Background Check Requirements

For the most comprehensive physical therapist background check, and to ensure compliance, there are several requirements, from identity verification to drug testing.

Identity Verification

Identify verification is the process of ensuring that a candidate is who they claim to be. This is done by checking a candidate's credentials, like their date of birth, address, and ID number, to confirm that they line up with external government databases.

Identity verification is important for preventing fraud and keeping bad actors from using fake identities to get hired.

Licensure Verification

Licensure is a requirement for physical therapists to practice within the United States. Verify that a candidate has the correct credentials and training required to perform their duties safely and effectively.

Typically, you can confirm licensure by calling your state's licensing board or checking online databases. Licensure verification prevents you from hiring a candidate without these credentials, which could result in serious penalties and liability. It also informs you of board actions, providing information about past disciplinary actions and potential red flags. These checks ensure that you remain compliant with regulatory requirements.

PreCheck includes robust licensure verification and monitoring tools. With PreCheck, licenses are automatically monitored, all in one place, for seamless, accurate results. You'll also receive notifications to alert you to upcoming license expirations.

Employment & Education Verification

Employment and education verification further solidifies that your candidate has the training and experience they claim to have. This step may involve calling a candidate's previous employers or schools they attended.

By verifying employment and education, you can be sure the candidate you're considering is the professional you're expecting.

Criminal Background Checks

Criminal background checks disclose details about a candidate's criminal history. The purpose of these checks is to see whether a candidate has been convicted of a crime that poses significant risk, such as fraud or assault.

There are various types of criminal background checks you can choose to conduct, including:

• • • • County checks: This background check searches local county courts for convictions.
      • Statewide checks: This background check shows the details of a candidate's criminal record in a specific state.
      • Federal court checks: This background check uncovers criminal details in district courts across specific districts or all districts.

Sanctions & Exclusions Screening

Sanctions and exclusion screening determines whether or not a candidate is excluded from federal or state healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. Sanctions and exclusions may arise when a healthcare professional is convicted of a crime like patient abuse.

Screening for sanctions and exclusions includes checking the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) databases, as well as other watch lists, debarment lists, and more.

PreCheck makes screening for sanctions and exclusions simple by screening OIG, CMS, and other relevant and required federal agencies and lists on your behalf. We also screen in all 50 states, ensuring accuracy.

Drug Testing

The use of illicit drugs can inhibit a physical therapist's ability to provide quality care. It also increases the risk of accidents and injuries within the workplace. And both of these scenarios put your organization at high risk.

Drug testing helps you keep your patients and employees safe while preventing liability. Examples of the types of drug tests you can request include:

• • • • Urine analysis drug testing panels
      • Breath alcohol testing
      • Hair follicle drug testing
      • Blood serum drug testing
      • Oral fluid and instant urine drug testing
        

PreCheck offers personalized drug testing panels to meet your specific requirements. Our comprehensive program helps you manage every step of testing, from employee notification to clinic site coordination.

Other Searches

There are other searches you might conduct as part of the background screening process, depending on your needs and requirements. For example, many healthcare organizations search abuse registries, such as the National Sex Offender Registry, as well as the Domestic Watch List.

PreCheck ensures that you receive a complete picture of a candidate's background. We conduct comprehensive searches through all relevant databases and registries.

How PT Background Check Services Simplify Healthcare Hiring

Candidates who lie about their background pose significant risks to your organization and patient safety. PreCheck helps you eliminate fraud through comprehensive identity, education, licensure, and employer verification, all in one platform.

By simplifying background screening, PreCheck has helped organizations reduce their average time-to-fill by 31.8%. We're the industry's most trusted provider, boasting a background pull accuracy of 99.9994%. You can be sure the data you receive is trustworthy, enabling you to make the best hiring decisions.

With PreCheck, hiring the right physical therapists for your medical team can be done accurately and quickly while remaining compliant with background check laws.

PreCheck is Here to Help You Screen Your Physical Therapists

To protect your patients, your employees, and your organization, you need comprehensive physical therapist background checks. With PreCheck by Cisive, you can hire the best talent fast while eliminating risk. We're here to help — schedule a call with one of our experts today!