On-line background checks available

Best Software Inc. and PeopleWise, a leading national pre-employment screening company, have launched a business alliance that will integrate PeopleWise’s pre-employment screening services with Best’s fully integrated human resources information systems solution, Abra Suite.

This integration will allow human resource professionals to complete all steps of the entire hiring process — including background checks — from their computers using the Internet. "The PeopleWise integration extends Abra Suite’s value to HR professionals and other business groups by enabling those hiring to leverage the power of the Internet to complete all steps of the hiring process from their own desktop," says Mark Sokol, product manager for Best Software’s Abra Suite.

For more information, contact: Melanie Carroll, PeopleWise; telephone: (940) 321-5502; e-mail: melaniecarroll@mindspring.com; Brian Muys, Best Software Inc.; telephone: (703) 709-5200; e-mail: brian_muys@bestsoftware.com; or, visit the PeopleWise Web site at: www.peoplewise.com.

Site provides credential verification service

The Web site www.DoctorDirectory.com, based in Asheville, NC, recently unveiled a new service called SanctionSearch.com. This service allows individuals to order license/sanction reports on physicians nationwide in order to make more informed decisions about their providers.

The site provides access to a physician profile and license/sanction report from a database of roughly 650,000 physicians. Users can learn about a physician’s credentials and education. For less than $10, users also can find out about disciplinary actions and sanctions taken against any physician with an active license. The database includes information collected from private, professional, and federal agencies, as well as the medical boards of all 50 states.

An alert service that notifies users via e-mail of any change in the license and/or sanction data on specific physicians also is available to site users.

JCAHO publishes guide to sentinel events

Providers wondering how to handle sentinel events can now refer to a guide published by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

"What Every Hospital Should Know About Sentinel Events" provides statistics on the most prevalent adverse events in health care, including where these events tend to occur and who is usually affected, to assist health care leaders in identifying high-risk activities and populations before a sentinel event occurs.

Chapters address the causes of sentinel events, strategies for prevention, the development of a root-cause analysis and action plan, ethical considerations, and legal issues. In the guide, providers also can find:

• comparisons between Joint Commission data on sentinel events and other sources of data regarding adverse medical events;

• information regarding liability and the Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Policy;

• a detailed explanation of the Sentinel Event Policy and the alternative procedures to filing a root-cause analysis.

For more information on the guide, call the Joint Commission’s Customer Service Center at (630) 792-5800.