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Series: Background Verification Process at IHS-Operated Health Facilities

Announced on  | Last Modified on  | Series Number: W-00-24-59454
Status
Completed
Agency
Indian Health Service

OBJECTIVE

The Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (P.L. No. 101-630) requires background checks, including Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprinting, for individuals whose duties involve contact with children. Furthermore, Indian Health Service (IHS) appropriated funds may not be used to pay for services provided by individuals excluded from federally funded health care programs. Prior OIG audit work identified IHS and Tribal health facilities that did not meet Federal requirements for background verifications of employees in contact with children. We will determine whether IHS operated health facilities met Federal requirements for background verifications of employees, contractors, and volunteers in contact with Indian children served by the facilities, and whether health care providers treating these children were appropriately licensed.

There are 2 projects in this series.

COMPLETED PROJECTS IN THIS SERIES (2)

Gallup Hospital/Navajo Area Office-Background Verifications and Provisional Staff Supervision Processes

Project A-02-23-02006 • Completed on September 24, 2024

Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital

Project A-02-21-02004 • Completed on April 21, 2023

TIMELINE

  • April 21, 2023
    Project Complete - A-02-21-02004

    Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital has been marked as complete. This audit resulted in 6 recommendations.

  • April 27, 2023
    Series Number W-00-24-59454 Assigned
  • April 27, 2023
    Projects Announced

    Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital - A-02-21-02004

  • Gallup Hospital/Navajo Area Office-Background Verifications and Provisional Staff Supervision Processes - A-02-23-02006

  • September 24, 2024
    Project Complete - A-02-23-02006

    Gallup Hospital/Navajo Area Office-Background Verifications and Provisional Staff Supervision Processes has been marked as complete. This audit resulted in 5 recommendations.

  • September 24, 2024
    Series Complete

    Background Verification Process at IHS-Operated Health Facilities has been marked as complete.

2 REPORT PUBLISHED

Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital—an IHS-Operated Health Facility—Did Not Timely Conduct Required Background Checks of Staff and Supervise Certain Staff (A-02-21-02004)

23-A-02-065.01 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 12/10/2025
We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to take action to complete background investigations for staff members identified in this report as not having a satisfactory background investigation and adjudicate the investigations that were still pending adjudication.

23-A-02-065.02 to IHS - Closed Implemented
Closed on 06/10/2025
We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to update standard operating procedures for background investigations to address the deficiencies we identified in this report.

23-A-02-065.03 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 12/10/2025
We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to establish a monitoring system to ensure all elements of required background investigations in accordance with Federal requirements are completed within required timeframes.

23-A-02-065.04 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 12/10/2025
We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to determine which staff members in contact with Indian children currently have a pending background investigation and take immediate action to ensure that there is adequate documented evidence that these staff members meet IHS sight and supervision requirements when children are in their care.

23-A-02-065.05 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 12/10/2025
We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to update standard operating procedures for provisional staff supervision to address the deficiencies we identified in this report.

23-A-02-065.06 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 12/10/2025
We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to establish a monitoring system to ensure that the Hospital meets sight and supervision requirements for staff with pending background investigations and documents that they are met.

View in Recommendation Tracker

Gallup Indian Medical Center—an IHS-Operated Health Facility—Did Not Timely Conduct Required Background Checks of Staff and Supervise Certain Staff (A-02-23-02006)

24-A-02-110.01 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 03/23/2025
We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to take action to complete background investigations, including adjudication, for staff members identified in this report as not having a satisfactory background investigation.

24-A-02-110.02 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 03/23/2025
We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to monitor background investigations to ensure all elements are completed within required timeframes in accordance with Federal requirements.

24-A-02-110.03 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 03/23/2025
We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to update standard operating procedures for background investigations to include completing background investigations for temporary staff in accordance with Federal requirements.

24-A-02-110.04 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 03/23/2025
We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to determine which staff members in contact with Indian children currently have a pending background investigation and take immediate action to supervise these staff members when children are in their care and adequately document such supervision.

24-A-02-110.05 to IHS - Open Unimplemented
Update expected on 03/23/2025
We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to follow through on its plans for an agencywide process to facilitate compliance with the sight and supervision requirements for staff with pending background investigations, including documentation that supervision actually occurs.

View in Recommendation Tracker
Work Plan Type
Office of Audit Services
HHS Agencies
Indian Health Service
Issue Areas
Departmental Operational Issues Hospitals Quality of Care
Target Groups
Children and Families
Financial Groups
Grants Medicaid Medicare A Medicare B