OHSU seeks to provide a safe environment for its community.  To help ensure the protection of the organization's people, property, and information, the Department of Public Safety, in collaboration with the Information Security Officer, Human Resources Directors, and the Deans of each OHSU school, oversee the background check process. Prospective students are not required to disclose previous criminal convictions prior to a conditional offer of admissions. They will only undergo a pre-matriculation background check once they have been admitted to their program. Similarly, prospective employees are not required to undergo a background check until after a conditional offer of employment is made.

If potentially disqualifying information is discovered during a criminal history or credit history background check, the OHSU Member will be given the opportunity to view this information and respond to it or dispute it before a final decision is made.

See OHSU Policy 03-10-011, Background Checks for more information.

OHSU Equivalent Background Checks – minimum necessary for all.

(Please note there is no time restriction on the search of records. All searches are conducted based on federal and state laws and go back as far as the laws allow in each applicable jurisdiction.

• All Names (include all Aliases)
  • US Criminal (National and Federal)
  • OIG/GSA (OIG Medicare/Medicaid Sanction Report), better known as the FACIS Level 3 Healthcare Sanctions, Debarment, Exclusions and Actions
  • National Sex Offender
  • SSN
    • All areas identified by the SSN locator
  • Oregon State – statewide and/or all counties (required whether the applicant has lived in Oregon or not)
  • Washington State – statewide and/or all counties (required whether the applicant has lived in Washington or not)
  • Five (5) years of driving records if driving a vehicle at OHSU

Please contact backgroundck@ohsu.edu for a review of any criminal history.

Expiration and Attestation Letter Requirements

OHSU requires all background checks (no matter your role) must be completed within 180 days from the date, you present for your OHSU ID Badge.

Attestation Letter - Suppliers, vendors, contractors and/or non-OHSU visiting students who are able to provide proof of an OHSU Equivalent background check may provide a letter of attestation, including email from your company or institution, rather than completing a new background check.

• Letters must indicate when the background check was completed.
• Must be on the appropriate letterhead of the company or institution attesting to the
• results of the background check, and
• Including the required individual searches completed. (Background checks must meet
• the OHSU Equivalent standards)

Self-Pay (Preferred Vendor)

OHSU provides a self-pay option for obtaining a background check on an individual who needs an OHSU ID badge and unrestricted access but who will not receive a background check through the employment, student, or visitor/volunteer processes.

All who use this method need to have an OHSU Contact registered with our system. If you do not have a registered OHU Contact, your request will be delayed. If you are a vendor/contractor and do not have an OHSU Contact, please reach out to the department or staff member you have been working with and ask who they have designated as the OHSU Contact for the self-pay option for background checks.

If you need to register as an OHSU Contact, please click here.  Include in the email: your name, contact information (email address, phone number, department, and title), and that you would like to be registered as a contact for self-pay background checks.

As an OHSU Contact, you are responsible for sending this access link to the individual who needs a background check through the self-pay option.  Be sure to include your department and your name and inform them to use that information when completing the "OHSU Department" and "OHSU Contact" fields on the form.  The individual receiving the access link will need to complete the form located at the link and click the submit "Background Check Request" button at the bottom.

• Advanced Reporting will then send that individual an email with a link and instructions about providing the required information, authorizing the background check, and paying via credit card.
• Advanced Reporting will process the background check once they have received the required information.

Once the background check is completed, the OHSU contact receives a background check clearance email.

Please note that the OHSU contact will not have access to the actual background check.  The clearance email is sufficient to obtain the OHSU ID badge.  Public Safety will contact the OHSU contact if there is criminal history and the individual is not cleared to be at OHSU.