135B.34 - HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES -- CRIMINAL HISTORY AND ABUSE RECORD CHECKS -- PENALTY.

        135B.34  HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES -- CRIMINAL HISTORY AND
      ABUSE RECORD CHECKS -- PENALTY.
         1.  Prior to employment of a person in a hospital, the hospital
      shall request that the department of public safety perform a criminal
      history check and the department of human services perform child and
      dependent adult abuse record checks of the person in this state.  A
      hospital shall inform all persons prior to employment regarding the
      performance of the record checks and shall obtain, from the persons,
      a signed acknowledgment of the receipt of the information.  A
      hospital shall include the following inquiry in an application for
      employment:

         "Do you have a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse or
      have you ever been convicted of a crime, in this state or any other
      state?"

         2. a.  If it is determined that a person being considered for
      employment in a hospital has committed a crime, the department of
      public safety shall notify the hospital that upon the request of the
      hospital the department of human services will perform an evaluation
      to determine whether the crime warrants prohibition of the person's
      employment in the hospital.
         b.  If a department of human services child or dependent adult
      abuse record check shows that the person has a record of founded
      child or dependent adult abuse, the department of human services
      shall notify the hospital that upon the request of the hospital the
      department of human services will perform an evaluation to determine
      whether the founded child or dependent adult abuse warrants
      prohibition of the person's employment in the hospital.
         c.  An evaluation performed under this subsection shall be
      performed in accordance with procedures adopted for this purpose by
      the department of human services.
         d. (1)  If a person owns or operates more than one hospital,
      and an employee of one of such hospitals is transferred to another
      such hospital without a lapse in employment, the hospital is not
      required to request additional criminal and child and dependent adult
      abuse record checks of that employee.
         (2)  If the ownership of a hospital is transferred, at the time of
      transfer the record checks required by this section shall be
      performed for each employee for whom there is no documentation that
      such record checks have been performed.  The hospital may continue to
      employ such employee pending the performance of the record checks and
      any related evaluation.
         3.  In an evaluation, the department of human services shall
      consider the nature and seriousness of the crime or founded child or
      dependent adult abuse in relation to the position sought or held, the
      time elapsed since the commission of the crime or founded child or
      dependent adult abuse, the circumstances under which the crime or
      founded child or dependent adult abuse was committed, the degree of
      rehabilitation, the likelihood that the person will commit the crime
      or founded child or dependent adult abuse again, and the number of
      crimes or founded child or dependent adult abuses committed by the
      person involved.  If the department of human services performs an
      evaluation for the purposes of this section, the department of human
      services has final authority in determining whether prohibition of
      the person's employment is warranted.
         4. a.  Except as provided in paragraph "b" and subsection
      2, a person who has committed a crime or has a record of founded
      child or dependent adult abuse shall not be employed in a hospital
      licensed under this chapter unless an evaluation has been performed
      by the department of human services.
         b.  A person with a criminal or abuse record who is employed
      by a hospital licensed under this chapter and is hired by another
      licensee without a lapse in employment shall be subject to the
      criminal history and abuse record checks required pursuant to
      subsection 1.  If an evaluation was previously performed by the
      department of human services concerning the person's criminal or
      abuse record and it was determined that the record did not warrant
      prohibition of the person's employment and the latest record checks
      do not indicate a crime was committed or founded abuse record was
      entered subsequent to that evaluation, the person may commence
      employment with the other licensee while the department of human
      services' evaluation of the latest record checks is pending.
      Otherwise, the requirements of paragraph "a" remain applicable to
      the person's employment.
         5. a.  If a person employed by a hospital that is subject to
      this section is convicted of a crime or has a record of founded child
      or dependent adult abuse entered in the abuse registry after the
      person's employment application date, the person shall inform the
      hospital of such information within forty-eight hours of the criminal
      conviction or entry of the record of founded child or dependent adult
      abuse.  The hospital shall act to verify the information within
      forty-eight hours of notification.  If the information is verified,
      the requirements of subsections 2, 3, and 4 regarding employability
      and evaluations shall be applied by the hospital to determine whether
      or not the person's employment is continued.  The hospital may
      continue to employ the person pending the performance of an
      evaluation by the department of human services to determine whether
      prohibition of the person's employment is warranted.  A person who is
      required by this subsection to inform the person's employer of a
      conviction or entry of an abuse record and fails to do so within the
      required period commits a serious misdemeanor.
         b.  If a hospital receives credible information, as determined
      by the hospital, that a person employed by the hospital has been
      convicted of a crime or a record of founded child or dependent adult
      abuse has been entered in the abuse registry after employment from a
      person other than the employee and the employee has not informed the
      hospital of such information within the period required under
      paragraph "a", the hospital shall act to verify the credible
      information within forty-eight hours of receipt of the credible
      information.  If the information is verified, the requirements of
      subsections 2, 3, and 4 regarding employability and evaluations shall
      be applied by the hospital to determine whether or not the person's
      employment is continued.
         c.  The hospital may notify the county attorney for the county
      where the hospital is located of any violation or failure by an
      employee to notify the hospital of a criminal conviction or entry of
      an abuse record within the period required under paragraph "a".
         6.  A hospital licensed in this state may access the single
      contact repository established by the department pursuant to section
      135C.33 as necessary for the hospital to perform record checks of
      persons employed or being considered for employment by the hospital.
      
         Section History: Recent Form
         2002 Acts, ch 1034, §1; 2008 Acts, ch 1187, §111