Aya Healthcare, a large national travel nurse staffing company, helped catch a nurse impersonator thanks to its comprehensive screening and compliance process.
Alarms were raised immediately by the Aya compliance department when Jeremy Daniel Griffin's license details differed from his date of birth and social security number. Upon further investigation, Aya called the California Board of Registered Nursing who then passed the case directly over to the Division of Investigations (DOI) within the California Department of Consumer Affairs' (DCA).
"We review thousands of nurse profiles monthly to ensure they are fully skilled and compliant for their position and unit," says Aya Healthcare Director of Compliance, Renee Magliano. "When Jeremy Daniel Griffin gave us what appeared to be falsified documents during the screening process, my compliance team got suspicious."
The DCA released a statement with details on the investigation and Aya's role in helping to catch Griffin in action. The DCA release states:
Griffin was scheduled to begin working as a registered nurse at Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy on June 26. He was hired after using the name of a real registered nurse. During the hiring process, he presented falsified documents in that nurse's name to Aya Healthcare, a travel nursing company. Aya Healthcare became suspicious after reviewing the documents.
Aya, the DOI and Saint Louise Regional Hospital worked together to stage an orientation for Griffin. Thanks to their coordinated efforts, police were waiting to arrest him when he arrived.
The DCA release continues:
DOI Supervising Investigator James Ackley said that he applauded the efforts made by Aya Healthcare and Saint Louise Regional Hospital, as it was due to the diligent background check and attention to detail on the part of Aya Healthcare, along with the cooperation and assistance of the staff at St. Louise Regional Hospital that DOI was able to successfully investigate and intervene in this situation. The quick actions of Aya Healthcare and Saint Louise Regional Hospital resulted in the immediate protection of their patients.
The in-depth vetting process and fast action of Aya's compliance team helped flag Griffin to authorities quickly and ensure he was stopped.
"We are confident that our thorough background checks, screenings, vetting and compliance procedures will continue to prevent anyone with falsified documentation from making it through our screening process and into a hospital under false pretenses," adds Magliano. "I'm so proud of my team, their training and our ongoing commitment to hiring only the best clinicians."