Maryland FACIS background checks: Levels 1M & 3 explained
A Maryland-specific breakdown of the FACIS healthcare exclusion search: what Level 1M covers, what Level 3 adds from Maryland boards and Medicaid enforcement, and which level fits which employer.
Every Maryland 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 Maryland and which level fits your workforce.
What is a FACIS background check in Maryland?
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 Maryland candidate, a Level 3 FACIS search reaches into the Maryland Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List, the Maryland Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the disciplinary records of every Maryland healthcare licensing board.
Maryland sources included in FACIS Level 3
- Maryland Medicaid Sanctioned or Excluded Provider List
- Maryland Medicaid Fraud Control Unit enforcement actions
- Maryland Board of Medicine disciplinary actions
- Maryland Board of Nursing disciplinary actions
- Maryland Board of Pharmacy disciplinary actions
- Maryland dental, behavioral health, and allied-health board actions
- Maryland Attorney General healthcare-fraud actions
- Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland employers
| Federal exclusion lists | Level 1M ✓ Level 3 ✓ |
| Maryland Medicaid exclusions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
| MD licensing board disciplinary actions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
| Maryland AG healthcare-fraud actions | Level 1M ✗ Level 3 ✓ |
Which Maryland employers need Level 3?
If any of the following describe your Maryland organization, Level 3 is the right search. Level 1M is not enough to see MD board sanctions or Maryland Medicaid exclusions:
- Maryland hospitals, health systems, and physician groups
- Skilled nursing, assisted-living, and long-term-care operators in Maryland
- Home health, hospice, and DME suppliers billing Maryland Medicaid
- Behavioral health, telehealth, and substance-use providers licensed in Maryland
- Any employer with clinical staff holding a MD license alongside licenses in other states
How often should Maryland providers re-screen?
The OIG Special Advisory Bulletin recommends monthly re-screening against the LEIE. Maryland Medicaid enrollment agreements generally impose the same monthly cadence against the Maryland 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 Maryland employers
SafestHires offers FACIS Level 1M and FACIS Level 3 as standalone searches or bundled into a Maryland 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.