CNA Awarded $12.9M Contract To Help States Improve Patient Safety and Combat Abuse In Long-Term Care Facilities

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — CNA has received a $12.9 million contract to provide technical assistance to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to help states implement the National Background Check Program (NBCP) requirements authorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

CNA analysts will assist CMS and the states in implementing the two-year program by identifying ways that long-term-care providers can discover if a job seeker has a criminal record or a history of other activities that would disqualify him or her from working with individuals in long-term care settings. CNA staff will identify background-check best practices; develop models, templates, and samples to guide program implementation; and deliver on-site support for customized solutions to state-specific challenges.

“CNA is proud to work with CMS and the states to improve the safety of our nation’s healthcare system. By identifying more efficient ways of conducting background checks on prospective employees, we’ll help long-term health care providers better protect individuals in their facilities,” said Mark Gritz, CNA’s vice president for Health Research and Policy.

Joyce McMahon, CNA’s NBCP project director, said, “CNA provided assistance to CMS and a small number of states in a previous pilot program. Our experiences taught us effective ways to work with states developing and implementing background check programs for prospective direct-patient-access employees. Our technical assistance has to be flexible to meet unique state situations, but must be anchored in an overarching process that ensures Federal requirements are met in a cost-effective and economical way.”

CNA’s work will include program and cost analyses to determine the efficiency and efficacy of participating states’ background check programs and will establish a website to provide information about the NBCP and the Technical Assistance program.