IHCA Enhances Hiring and Builds Trust with Checkr

Streamlined background checks drive successful growth in the home care industry

Company Overview

The Independent Home Care Alliance (IHCA) is a national member-based organization that works exclusively with independent home care agencies to provide resources, best practices, and networking opportunities within the caregiving sector.

industry

Home Healthcare

size

1,000 - 2,000 background checks per year (on average)

Key Results

Challenge

Before partnering with Checkr, IHCA faced lengthy wait times for background checks and had difficulty accessing up-to-date information on candidates and employees.

Solution

Since implementing Checkr, IHCA has experienced a 90% reduction in average turnaround time on background checks, increased transparency with candidates through Checkr’s candidate portal, and mitigated risk with Continuous Checks.

Products Used

The IHCA - Checkr Story

IHCA needed a reliable and efficient background check solution to hire and maintain qualified caregivers and administrative staff across different states, in order to remain competitive.

The challenge

Prior to Checkr, IHCA experienced delays in background checks and struggled with limited visibility into statuses and reports. There was a lack of communication from their previous background check vendor, and a lack of trust in the reporting that came back. They couldn't be sure that the results they were receiving were accurate, which then caused delays in hiring those candidates. 

Courtney Carroll, Recruiting and Onboarding Manager, and Bernice Avington, People Services Manager, were constantly managing communication with candidates and unable to provide them with information on the status of their background checks. They were losing qualified candidates to other jobs that were able to get them hired and onboarded quickly.

Courtney and Bernice also lacked confidence in their previous vendor’s ongoing monitoring of existing workers. “The stakes are high because of the intimate nature of the relationship. We can't afford to not be very strict. It's a really high standard,” said Bernice, “With our previous background check provider, we found many instances where they were missing information. We have not found that with Checkr. We haven't been surprised by anything.” 

Switching to Checkr has had a very positive impact on reducing our time to hire. We have been able to reduce our average turnaround time by 90% since switching to Checkr.
Courtney Carroll
Recruiting and Onboarding Manager, IHCA

The solution

Bernice and Courtney decided to switch to Checkr because they needed a background check partner that could provide a more automated candidate experience, help keep them up to speed on compliance regulations, and improve the accuracy of reporting on both candidates and existing employees. “It's definitely a complete 180 from what we were used to. And I never thought we would have background checks returned so quickly, but also be so confident in the results,” said Courtney. 

With Checkr, ICHA is able to stay informed on changing regulations. Thanks to frequent updates from Checkr on evolving legislation, they are able to make decisions on running compliant background checks, and ensure their candidates stay informed.

Not only does Checkr keep us up to date with different regulations that are changing , but they have a great candidate portal as well. Our candidates are able to log into Checkr, see what needs to be done, and keep track of their background check status.
Courtney Carroll
Recruiting and Onboarding Manager, IHCA

Checkr's candidate portal allows for increased transparency and trust with candidates by offering real-time communication throughout the background check process. Checkr takes care of all communications with the candidate, so Courtney and Bernice are no longer spending time managing that process manually. If anything comes up on a background check that a candidate wants to dispute, Courtney and Bernice are able to rely on Checkr to help candidates navigate through the portal as it's all done in one central location. “That has just been a huge weight off of our shoulders and it's really helped keep those candidates engaged throughout the process…”

In addition to running annual background checks on their caregivers, IHCA also uses Checkr’s Continuous Checks service. With Continuous Crim, Courtney and Bernice are notified of any reportable changes to their caregivers’ records in real-time. If Checkr identifies a change in the caregiver’s history, Continuous Crim will automatically kick off follow-up searches in the appropriate jurisdictions and generate a new background check report. This helps IHCA minimize risk and ensure their caregivers are thoroughly vetted on a consistent basis, and maintain confidence in the accuracy of the reports. 

Ongoing monitoring of their employees is extremely important to IHCA due to the type of care they provide. They have a license requirement to check in on a monthly basis, but being able to check in on a daily basis provides a higher level of assurance to their clients.

By partnering with Checkr, IHCA has streamlined their hiring process, reduced time to hire, and built trust among candidates. In an industry marked by high turnover and competition, Checkr's background check solutions and support have played a crucial role in IHCA's growth and success.

IHCA's favorite features

Transparency
Real-time updates and communication for candidates throughout the background check process
Continuous Checks
Ability to run continuous criminal background checks on caregivers, notifying of any reportable changes to workers’ records
Pre-adverse Action
Reduces the heavy lifting for hiring teams, and give candidates an opportunity to provide context around their records while supporting compliance

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