Why Background Checks Matter in Home Health Care
Protecting Patients and Agencies
Home health care is growing fast. More people want to stay in their homes while getting care. After the recent passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” and changes to Medicare, experts expect a big rise in new home health agencies. That’s great news—but it also means we must be more careful than ever about who we hire to care for others.
What Is a Background Check?
A background check is when a company looks into a person’s past. This can include:
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Criminal history
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Sex offender registry
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Employment and education history
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OIG/SAM exclusion list (which checks if someone is banned from working in health care)
Agencies like Rapid Screen 123 help businesses run these checks before they hire someone.
Why They’re Important
When someone works in home health, they are often caring for people who are older, sick, or have disabilities. These patients depend on their caregivers. If a caregiver has a criminal past—especially one involving theft, abuse, or fraud—they may not be safe around patients.
By running a background check, you help make sure that the person is trustworthy and qualified to do the job.
The Law Requires It
Most states require home health agencies to do background checks before hiring. Some states even have special rules for checking the backgrounds of people who work with older adults or those with disabilities.
If you skip this step, you could be breaking the law—even if nothing bad happens. State agencies may audit your company. You could also lose your license or face other penalties.
What Happens If You Don’t?
Not doing background checks can cause serious problems. If a worker harms a patient and you didn’t check their background, your agency could face:
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Lawsuits for negligence
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State investigations or audits
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Loss of trust in your business
Even one mistake can hurt your company’s reputation and cost thousands of dollars. More importantly, it can put a patient in danger.
Protect Your Patients. Protect Your Agency.
Hiring the right people is one of the most important things you can do in home health care. When you run background checks, you show that you care about safety—for your patients and your agency.
Rapid Screen 123 offers complete background screening services for home health agencies. We check criminal records, verify employment and education, and search exclusion lists—so you can hire with confidence.
Need help protecting your agency and your patients?
Call today to learn more about our background check services.