Connecticut FACIS background checks: Levels 1M & 3 explained
A Connecticut-specific breakdown of the FACIS healthcare exclusion search: what Level 1M covers, what Level 3 adds from Connecticut boards and Medicaid enforcement, and which level fits which employer.
Every Connecticut organization that bills a federally funded healthcare program — Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or a state Medicaid managed-care plan — is required to verify that its employees, contractors, and vendors are not excluded from participation. FACIS is the standard tool for that verification. This guide covers what a FACIS search returns in Connecticut and which level fits your workforce.
What is a FACIS background check in Connecticut?
FACIS (Fraud and Abuse Control Information System) is a healthcare-specific sanction database that aggregates federal exclusion and debarment records with state licensing, Medicaid, and Attorney General enforcement data. Run against a Connecticut candidate, a Level 3 FACIS search reaches into the Connecticut Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List, the Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the disciplinary records of every Connecticut healthcare licensing board.
Connecticut sources included in FACIS Level 3
- Connecticut Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List
- Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit enforcement actions
- Connecticut Board of Medicine disciplinary actions
- Connecticut Board of Nursing disciplinary actions
- Connecticut Board of Pharmacy disciplinary actions
- Connecticut dental, behavioral health, and allied-health board actions
- Connecticut Attorney General healthcare-fraud actions
- Connecticut contractor disqualification and debarment lists
Federal sources included in every FACIS search
Both Level 1M and Level 3 include the federal exclusion sources that satisfy OIG and CMS baseline requirements for Connecticut providers:
- OIG List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE)
- System for Award Management (SAM), including SDN
- OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list
- FDA Debarment List
- DEA administrative actions
- GSA excluded parties
- TRICARE excluded providers
- U.S. Department of Justice, Treasury, and State healthcare-fraud actions
FACIS Level 1M vs. Level 3 for Connecticut employers
| Federal exclusion lists | Level 1M ✓ Level 3 ✓ |
| Connecticut Medicaid exclusions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
| CT licensing board disciplinary actions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
| Connecticut AG healthcare-fraud actions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
Which Connecticut employers need Level 3?
If any of the following describe your Connecticut organization, Level 3 is the right search. Level 1M is not enough to see CT board sanctions or Connecticut Medicaid exclusions:
- Connecticut hospitals, health systems, and physician groups
- Skilled nursing, assisted-living, and long-term-care operators in Connecticut
- Home health, hospice, and DME suppliers billing Connecticut Medicaid
- Behavioral health, telehealth, and substance-use providers licensed in Connecticut
- Any employer with clinical staff holding a CT license alongside licenses in other states
How often should Connecticut providers re-screen?
The OIG Special Advisory Bulletin recommends monthly re-screening against the LEIE. Connecticut Medicaid enrollment agreements generally impose the same monthly cadence against the Connecticut Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List. A pre-hire FACIS check is the starting point; continuous monthly monitoring is what catches sanctions that land after the hire date.
How SafestHires runs FACIS for Connecticut employers
SafestHires offers FACIS Level 1M and FACIS Level 3 as standalone searches or bundled into a Connecticut healthcare hiring package alongside primary-source license verification, sex-offender registry checks, and county criminal history. Ongoing monthly monitoring is available for the entire workforce from the same dashboard.
FACIS turnaround time for Connecticut employers
A single-name FACIS Level 3 search on a Connecticut candidate typically returns in minutes because most sources are queried via live API. Manual review kicks in only when the search returns a potential match that needs CT board or Connecticut Medicaid-exclusion identifier confirmation before it can be reported. See the SafestHires turnaround guide for a full breakdown of what drives timing across all searches in a Connecticut hire.
Building a complete Connecticut healthcare hiring package
FACIS is the sanction-and-exclusion layer of a healthcare hire, but it is only one component. A complete Connecticut clinical hiring package typically pairs FACIS Level 3 with:
- Primary-source license verification against the Connecticut Board of Medicine, Connecticut Board of Nursing, and Connecticut Board of Pharmacy
- County criminal history for every Connecticut county lived or worked in during the FCRA lookback window
- National sex offender registry and Connecticut-specific abuse/neglect registry lookups
- Employment and education verification, including internship and residency dates
- Drug screening under Connecticut employer policy — 5- or 10-panel lab-based
- Financial Risk Search for Connecticut finance, revenue-cycle, and executive roles with fiduciary duties (bankruptcies, judgments, liens from public records)
See Connecticut background check laws for the state-level rules that shape package design, and the package builder to assemble a Connecticut healthcare package end-to-end.
Frequently asked questions about FACIS in Connecticut
What is the penalty if a Connecticut employer bills for services from an excluded provider?
Under 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7a, civil monetary penalties can reach up to $21,000 per item or service claimed, plus treble damages, plus repayment of every dollar that touched the excluded person's work. State Medicaid Fraud Control Units in Connecticut can pursue additional penalties under state false-claims statutes.
Is a Financial Risk Search recommended for Connecticut healthcare hires?
For clinical roles, FACIS plus primary-source license verification and county criminal history is the compliance-driven baseline. For Connecticut healthcare finance, revenue-cycle, and executive roles with fiduciary responsibility, the SafestHires Financial Risk Search — bankruptcies, civil judgments, and tax liens from public records — is a common add-on to surface public financial-risk indicators before hire.
Does FACIS replace primary-source license verification in Connecticut?
No. FACIS surfaces disciplinary and sanction history, but it does not confirm that a CT license is currently active and in good standing. SafestHires runs primary-source license verification against each Connecticut board alongside FACIS on every clinical hire.