Frequently asked questions
Factual answers about what ExclusionSentry screens, how fresh the data is, and how potential matches work. Numbers on this page come from the live system; the source statistics and freshness board are always public.
What is healthcare exclusion screening?
Federal and state agencies publish lists of individuals and entities excluded from participation in federally funded healthcare programs. Employing or contracting with an excluded person can expose an organization to civil monetary penalties, so employers check their workforce, contractors, and vendors against these lists. The HHS Office of Inspector General's 2013 Special Advisory Bulletin recommends monthly screening; the official exclusions site is oig.hhs.gov/exclusions.
Which lists do you screen against?
45 sources: the federal OIG LEIE (including its monthly exclusion and reinstatement supplements) and SAM.gov exclusions, plus the state exclusion, debarment, and termination lists of 43 states. Live record counts and per-source statistics are public on the source statistics page.
Do you cover my state?
State exclusion, debarment, and termination lists currently covered: New York, Texas, New Jersey, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington, Arizona, Indiana, Oregon, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, South Carolina, Mississippi, North Dakota, Montana, Vermont, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Kansas, North Carolina, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Nebraska, Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, West Virginia, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, and Florida. If your state is not listed, its state list is not covered yet; every screening still includes both federal lists, which apply nationwide. Coverage is stated exactly, and we never claim lists we do not carry.
How fresh is the data?
Each source publishes on its own schedule (SAM.gov daily, most state lists monthly; the cadence for every source is listed on the source statistics page). We check every source daily, and every pull is archived with a SHA-256 checksum before parsing. The live freshness of every source is public on the source status board, and every audit report states the exact source versions used for that run.
What does a potential match mean?
A potential match means a name comparison succeeded, nothing more. It is not a determination about any person. You review the evidence side by side and either clear the match with a note (which becomes part of your audit PDF) or confirm it and follow your organization's process. Matches are never auto-cleared and never suppressed. More on how matches are resolved.
Are false positives normal?
Yes. Many exclusion sources publish no date of birth or NPI, so common names will produce candidates that are not your person. That is deliberate: the alternative, filtering candidates automatically, risks hiding a real exclusion, and we never suppress a candidate. Clearing a false positive takes a minute and the note becomes audit documentation.
What information do you need about the people screened?
First and last name are required; date of birth and NPI improve match precision when your roster has them, and license numbers stay on the roster for your review records. No Social Security numbers, ever: uploads containing SSN columns are rejected. Dates of birth are stored encrypted, and roster data is never sent to third-party AI services.
Is this a background check for hiring?
The service monitors your organization's current employees, contractors, and vendors against public exclusion lists. It is not designed for making hiring decisions about job applicants, and the free checker requires confirming that intended use before it runs. Results are potential matches requiring verification, never determinations about a person.
How often does screening run?
Automatically every month on the day you choose (1 through 28), with a report link emailed when it completes. You can also run screening on demand at any time. Every run produces an immutable audit PDF with its SHA-256 recorded.
What happens when a source is stale or unavailable?
A pull that fails validation is quarantined and the last verified version keeps serving. Page one of the audit report discloses any source that was not current at screening time, and the source status board shows the same thing publicly. A stale source is never presented as checked and clear.
Can a billing company or consultant screen for multiple clients?
One account serves one organization. Under the Terms of Service, using a single account to provide screening services to other organizations requires our prior written agreement. The working partner model is one account per client organization, with nothing shared between clients.
Is there a free way to try it?
Yes: the free single-name check runs against the two federal lists, shows the result on the page and emails a PDF copy, limited to 3 checks per email address per day. The source statistics are public too.
How does pricing work?
Flat monthly plans by roster size, listed on the pricing page. No per-name fees, no setup fees, no contracts. You can cancel anytime from the billing page, and your reports and audit history remain accessible after cancellation. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial on your first subscription: a card is collected at checkout and the first charge lands when the trial ends, unless you cancel before then.
Ready to screen your roster? See monthly pricing Create an account or run a free federal check.