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Your Next Medical Checkup May Include Background Checks

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By Samara Sodos, News Channel 8

Published: September 13, 2007

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Before choosing a doctor, patients often research individual physicians on the Internet to find one that meets their needs.

But some doctors are turning the tables. News Channel 8 has learned that more and more doctors may be performing criminal background checks on patients.

The reasons for doing the checks aren't always about the patient.

When police arrested a Tampa woman this year for pretending her daughter was dead and soliciting money to pay for a funeral that never happened, they were tipped by an unlikely source - her physician.

Dr. Luis Ycaza performs random criminal background checks on his patients at the Injury Care Institute in Tampa.

"I guess it's just like what the TSA does at the airport - randomly check on individuals," he says.
In the case of the patient accused of collecting cash for a fake funeral, Ycaza became suspicious of her request, after a background check revealed a long criminal history.

But Ycaza says he's not trying to be a police hero. He just wants to protect his employees, who sometimes work late hours alone with patients.

The checks involve a simple glance of arrest records on public law enforcement Web sites.
"I don't see it as an invasion of privacy because they are public records," Ycaza says.

He says he hasn't turned down any patients yet based on their criminal history.

Consultant Anita Ramirez says that In an increasingly dangerous world, doctors are scrutinized for every prescription they write and disease they diagnose. Knowing more about the patients can't hurt.

"They're having to do a lot of paperwork and watch out to cover themselves and it's sad," Ramirez says.

Dr. Lynne Columbus runs a pain management clinic in Clearwater. She understands why doctors who prescribe narcotics might want to know a patient's criminal history to further understand potential substance abuse issues.

But outside of that, Columbus doesn't see the point.

"I do have an issue with doing criminal background checks as a physician," she says. "You know we're not trained to be investigators and if we do get that information, what are we supposed to do with that information?"

But Ycaza believes if background checks help his staff feel safer, they are worth it.

And if it gives him a deeper understanding of his patients who are not always honest about their history, he believes everyone benefits.

Ycaza does not inform his patients that he conducts random criminal background checks unless it comes up in a discussion of their medical history.

Legally, a doctor does not have to inform a patient of this kind of search, because it's based on a public records check that anyone could do.

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