An attorney friend referred “Betsy” to me,
urging me to help the poor unfortunate lady.
Betsy had uncovered evidence of her supervisor’s illegal
activities. Getting fired was Betsy’s
reward for reporting this to her employer.
After reviewing the evidence, I
agreed to represent her and we were off to the races. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that there
were two sides to this story.
I noticed that my client never held a job
for very long. Further research
disclosed that she’d filed suits against landlords, grocery stores, neighbors, former
employers, ex-husbands, her health care providers, former attorneys, and even
her church. I was representing a “serial
plaintiff.” And like her other victims,
I lost money in the process.
The case taught me the hard way how
important it is to thoroughly research the background of a potential client BEFORE taking on his or her case. In my work with health care providers, I’ve
also found that it is important to check out potential employees and patients.
A doctor I represent had interviewed
several candidates to work as his new billing clerk. He decided to give one of the applicants a
“working interview.” After she had been on
the job a few days, he called me because he was very unhappy with her work
performance. He wanted to know how he
should terminate the relationship.
The results of the lady’s background check
nearly sent me to the hospital. She had
a long criminal record that included time in jail for aggravated assault and
theft. We needed to immediately let her
go. Fortunately, she had not had a
chance to steal from us or attack any of our patients when we relieved her of
her duties. We were equally lucky that
she did not file an unemployment claim.
Another clinic I work for called me about
a patient who had groped one of its nurses. The administrator wanted my help in
dismissing the patient from the practice.
After reviewing the report of the assault, statement of a witness, and
the patient’s chart, I agreed that we should dismiss the patient. I drafted a letter telling him that because
of his actions, we were banning him from the clinic. From the chart, I knew that the patient was
married. Not wanting to stir things up
with his wife, I hesitated sending the letter to his home. Unfortunately, our records merely listed his
employment as “retired.” Imagine my joy
when my research disclosed that he was a retired attorney who had specialized
in litigation.
It is simple and inexpensive to obtain
necessary background information. Google™, LinkedIn™, and Facebook™
searches are a great start. There are
also numerous companies that provide thorough background information for a
reasonable fee. Health care providers can
easily obtain information from their patients on “Welcome to the Practice”
forms.
Before conducting a job interview or a
background check on potential employees, employers must comply with numerous laws
governing hiring practices. These laws
prohibit employers from asking questions that might constitute illegal discrimination. They also require consent of the applicant to
certain background checks. I have found
that applicants rarely object to the background checks and that the information
gained is well worth the extra effort.
Please take the time to learn about your
patients, potential employees, and clients.
The information may protect you from making bad choices regarding these
relationships. Equally important, the
information will help you understand those people and improve the quality of your
care and relationships with them. It can
be a positive choice for everyone involved.
