FACIS® Level 3 Sources: Every Database We Search
See exactly which federal, state and licensing board sources a FACIS® Level 3 search covers. Above all, one search reaches every U.S. jurisdiction and every provider type.
What FACIS® Level 3 Actually Searches
FACIS® stands for Fraud Abuse Control Information System. It aggregates sanctions, exclusions, debarments and disciplinary actions from government regulators and licensing boards nationwide.
Level 3 opens the entire repository. Therefore your report reaches more than 3,500 primary sources, including roughly 2,500 state-level sources.
Those state sources include sanctioning boards from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Moreover, coverage spans every provider type, not just MDs and DOs.
The repository also grows fast. In an average month, editors add more than 20,000 new records. In addition, historical actions reported since the 1980s stay searchable, so an old sanction still surfaces years later.
BCS Background Screening LLC delivers this search inside our healthcare background verification package. Alternatively, you can order the repository search on its own.
Four Groups of FACIS® Level 3 Sources
Every FACIS® Level 3 source falls into one of four groups. Consequently, one search replaces dozens of separate list checks.
Federal exclusions
OIG, GSA/SAM, DEA, FDA, PHS, ORI, NPDB, TRICARE, EPLS, OFAC-SDN and Medicare Opt-Out.
State program integrity
Medicaid sanction lists, contractor debarment lists, HEAT task forces and Attorney General releases.
Licensing boards
More than 2,000 licensing and disciplinary board sources across all 56 U.S. jurisdictions.
Reportable actions
Malpractice payments, board actions, peer review findings and healthcare convictions under 42 CFR.
Federal FACIS® Level 3 Sources
Federal agencies publish the exclusion lists that trigger payment denial. Because of that, FACIS® Level 3 searches every one of them first.
| Federal source | What the source reveals |
|---|---|
| OIG – Office of Inspector General | Mandatory and permissive exclusions from Medicare, Medicaid and all federal healthcare programs. |
| GSA – General Services Administration | Government-wide debarments and suspensions recorded in the System for Award Management. |
| DEA – Drug Enforcement Administration | Surrendered, suspended and revoked controlled substance registrations. |
| FDA – U.S. Food and Drug Administration | Debarment from drug and device applications, plus disqualified clinical investigators. |
| PHS – U.S. Public Health Service | Administrative actions taken against health professionals and grant recipients. |
| ORI – Office of Research Integrity | Research misconduct findings and negotiated supervision agreements. |
| NPDB – National Practitioner Data Bank | Malpractice payments, licensure actions and clinical privilege actions reported under 42 CFR. |
| TRICARE | Providers barred from the military health program. |
| EPLS – Excluded Parties Listing System | Legacy federal exclusion records retained for historical searching. |
| OFAC-SDN | Specially Designated Nationals and blocked persons named by the U.S. Treasury. |
| Medicare Opt-Out | Practitioners who formally opted out of Medicare and cannot bill the program. |
| DOJ – Department of Justice | Federal healthcare fraud charges, settlements and convictions announced by U.S. Attorneys. |
| FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation | Public enforcement actions tied to healthcare fraud and abuse investigations. |
Why the OIG list alone is not enough. The OIG list records only final program exclusions. However, most adverse findings start at a state board or a Medicaid agency. Therefore a federal-only check misses them for months, and sometimes forever.
State and Jurisdiction Sources
State regulators discipline far more providers than federal agencies do. As a result, state coverage separates a real exclusion screen from a checkbox.
State Medicaid sanction sources
Providers barred from a state Medicaid program, including many never listed by the OIG.
Contractor debarment sources
State procurement and contractor disqualification lists that block public healthcare contracts.
HEAT task force sources
Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team cases brought with state partners.
Attorney General sources
Notices and press releases naming providers charged in fraud, abuse and neglect matters.
Licensing and discipline boards
Revocations, suspensions, probations, restrictions, consent orders and reprimands.
Jurisdictions searched
All 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories, for every provider type.
Other sources of adverse action
FACIS® Level 3 also pulls adverse actions from the agencies below. Meanwhile, researchers verify each match before it reaches your report.
- DEA – Drug Enforcement Administration
- HHS Office of Inspector General
- GSA System for Award Management
- OFAC – Office of Foreign Assets Control
- FDA – Food and Drug Administration
- TRICARE
- DOJ – Department of Justice
- FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation
- State contractor debarment
- State Attorneys General
- Medicare Opt-Out
- All provider types, all jurisdictions
Reportable Actions Under 42 CFR §§ 60.7 – 60.16
Federal rules require specific bodies to report adverse actions. Accordingly, FACIS® Level 3 tracks each reporting category below.
| Rule | Reportable action | Reporting source |
|---|---|---|
| § 60.7 | Medical malpractice payments | Reported to the licensing, registering or certifying agency or board. |
| § 60.8 | Boards of medical examiners | All provider types and all jurisdictions, not only physicians and dentists. |
| § 60.9 | State licensing and certification actions | Adverse actions, surrenders and loss of license, all provider types. |
| § 60.10 | Federal licensing and certification actions | Adverse actions, surrenders and loss of license across all federal agencies. |
| § 60.11 | Peer review and accreditation findings | Negative actions or findings reported to the licensing or certifying board. |
| § 60.12 | Clinical privileges actions | Adverse or negative privilege actions reported to the certifying board. |
| § 60.13 | Healthcare criminal convictions | Federal and state convictions reported by DOJ and State Attorneys General. |
| § 60.14 | Healthcare civil judgments | Judgments tied to delivery of a healthcare item or service. |
| § 60.15 | Entitlement program exclusions | Federal and state healthcare program exclusions and debarments. |
| § 60.16 | Adjudicated actions or decisions | Actions defined in § 60.3 and reported to the certifying agency or board. |
FACIS® Level 1, 1M, 2 and 3 Compared
Each level widens the same repository. In short, the level you buy decides how much of the country you actually search.
| Source coverage | Level 1 | Level 1M | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal exclusions and sanctions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Medicare Opt-Out and OFAC-SDN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| State Medicaid sanction lists | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| State contractor debarment lists | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HEAT and Attorney General sources | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Licensing boards, one state | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Licensing boards, all 56 jurisdictions | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Every provider type, not only MDs and DOs | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Clinicians move between states constantly. Therefore Level 2 leaves a gap whenever an applicant held a license elsewhere. Level 3 closes that gap.
Who Screens Against FACIS® Level 3 Sources
Any organization paid by Medicare or Medicaid must avoid excluded parties. Otherwise the agency may recover every dollar it paid.
Hospitals and health systems
Employed physicians, nurses, technicians, residents and credentialed medical staff.
Home health and hospice
Field clinicians, aides and schedulers who enter patient homes unsupervised.
Long-term care
Skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care staff working with vulnerable adults.
Staffing and locum tenens
Travel nurses and contract clinicians placed across several states each year.
Payers and plans
Network providers, delegated entities and downstream contractors under CMS rules.
Vendors and suppliers
Billing companies, DME suppliers, pharmacies, labs and transport providers.
Screen monthly, not once. CMS directs state Medicaid agencies to check exclusion lists every month. Likewise, OIG compliance guidance recommends monthly review. Consequently, smart employers monitor staff continuously instead of screening only at hire.
Order a FACIS® Level 3 Search in Four Steps
Setup takes minutes. Afterward, you order searches on demand from your secure account.
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Open your account
Complete the online application, then pass our standard credentialing review.
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Collect authorization
Give the applicant an FCRA disclosure, then capture written consent.
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Order the search
Enter the applicant, select the healthcare package, then submit the order.
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Review the results
Results post to your secure account, where you can print or archive them.
Health Care Provider Background Check – $58
Includes the FACIS® Level 3 repository search, an SSN trace and address history, plus a nationwide criminal database search. You also get a sex offender registry search, sanctions and watchlist screening, and one medical license verification. See the full healthcare package.
FACIS® Level 3 only
Order the repository search by itself when you already run criminal searches elsewhere. Then review a sample FACIS® Level 3 report to see how matches appear, or open the FACIS® Level III only search.
Legal Limits You Must Respect
A FACIS® Level 3 report is a consumer report when you order it for employment purposes. Therefore the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies in full.
First, give the applicant a clear, stand-alone written disclosure. Next, obtain signed authorization before you order anything.
If a record concerns you, do not reject the applicant immediately. Instead, send a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report and the Summary of Rights.
Then allow reasonable time for a dispute. Finally, send the adverse action notice only after that window closes.
Also remember that a sanction is not automatically disqualifying. Many states require individualized assessment, so weigh the offense, the time elapsed and the job duties.
Important. BCS Background Screening LLC reports public records as agencies report them. We do not give legal advice, so consult your counsel before you set disqualification rules.
FACIS® Level 3 Sources: Frequently Asked Questions
What sources does a FACIS® Level 3 search cover?
A FACIS® Level 3 search covers more than 3,500 primary sources. Those include federal lists such as OIG, GSA/SAM, DEA, FDA, PHS, ORI, NPDB, TRICARE, EPLS, OFAC-SDN and Medicare Opt-Out.
In addition, roughly 2,500 state sources apply. They include 24 Medicaid sanction lists, 29 contractor debarment lists, 42 HEAT sources, 51 Attorney General sources and more than 2,000 licensing boards.
How is FACIS® Level 3 different from an OIG exclusion check?
An OIG check searches a single list. FACIS® Level 3 searches that list plus thousands of other federal and state sources.
Therefore it also surfaces license revocations, board discipline, Medicaid exclusions and fraud actions that never reach the OIG list.
What is the difference between FACIS® Level 1, 1M, 2 and 3?
Level 1 searches federal sources only. Level 1M adds state Medicaid sanctions, contractor debarments, HEAT sources and Attorney General releases.
Level 2 then adds licensing board records for one specified state. Level 3 extends that board coverage to all 56 jurisdictions and every provider type.
Does FACIS® Level 3 cover all 50 states?
Yes. Coverage reaches all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories, which together form 56 jurisdictions.
Moreover, coverage includes every licensed provider type, not only physicians and osteopaths.
How current is the FACIS® data?
Editors add more than 20,000 new records in an average month. Furthermore, the repository keeps historical actions reported since the 1980s.
As a result, an old sanction still appears long after the original agency stops publishing it.
How much does a FACIS® Level 3 background check cost?
Our Health Care Provider Background Check costs $58 per applicant. That package bundles the FACIS® Level 3 search with an SSN trace and a nationwide criminal database search. It also adds a sex offender registry search, watchlist screening and one license verification.
How often should healthcare employers rescreen staff?
CMS directs state Medicaid agencies to check exclusion lists monthly. Similarly, OIG compliance guidance recommends monthly review.
Consequently, most hospitals, agencies and staffing firms monitor employees, contractors and vendors every month.
Is a FACIS® Level 3 report an FCRA consumer report?
Yes, whenever an employer orders it for employment purposes. So you must disclose, obtain authorization, and follow the pre-adverse and adverse action steps.
Search Every FACIS® Level 3 Source Today
Open your account online, then order your first healthcare search the same day. Meanwhile, our team verifies your credentials and enables your search types.
Questions? Call (800) 661-0278 or email support@usabackground.com. We also offer optional Multiple Authentication Factor (MAF) protection on all user accounts.