Conducting employee background checks: new responsibilities, new resources, new pitfalls.

Growing legal and regulatory pressures are being applied to healthcare institutions to do a better job of screening job applicants--whether they are physicians, nurses, housekeepers, or security officers. In the past, the hiring of employees who turn out to have criminal pasts has sometimes proven both costly and embarrassing to hospitals, as this report reveals. However, while there are now many resources available to uncover an applicant's criminal record, there are pitfalls to be aware of when conducting or hiring an outside firm to conduct background checks.