Massachusetts has widened its investigation into professional licenses after officials found that 13 people had obtained nursing licenses using false credentials, according to a report from The Boston Globe.
Here are five things to know about the investigation.
1. The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy and nine other professional boards have started reviewing the work of Nashville, Tenn.-based Professional Credential Services, the company the boards hire to do background checks on applicants.
2. In the report, Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure spokesman Pete Fullerton said other professional boards had not detected instances of fraud, but "the cases of the 13 nurses raised concerns."
3. The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing recently revoked or suspended 13 nursing licenses because of alleged fraud. One of the nurses had worked at Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital and twelve others worked in nursing homes. State officials found no link suggesting the nurses under scrutiny harmed patients, The Boston Globe notes.
4. Since the fraudulent behavior involved applicants reporting that they had out-of-state licenses, the nursing board in Massachusetts has launched an investigation into its handling of applications from people with out-of-state licenses, and the board is also reviewing the performance of Professional Credential Services, according to the report.
5. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has referred the apparent nurse fraud cases to the FBI and the state attorney general's office.
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