(a) (1) The Department of Managed Health Care may require fingerprint images and associated information from a prospective employee whose duties would include access to medical information.

(2) The department shall require that any services contract or interagency agreement that may include review of medical information for compliance with the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Chapter 2.2 (commencing with Section 1340) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code), and entered into, renewed, or amended after January 1, 2006, shall include a provision requiring the contractor to agree to permit the department to run criminal background checks on its employees, contractors, agents, or subcontractors that will have access to this information as part of their contract with the department.

(b) The fingerprint images and associated information of a prospective employee, contractor, agent, subcontractor, or employee of a contractor of the Department of Managed Health Care whose duties include or would include access to the information specified in subdivision (a), or any person who assumes those duties, may be furnished to the Department of Justice for the purpose of obtaining information as to the existence and nature of a record of state or federal level convictions and state or federal level arrests for which the Department of Justice establishes that the applicant was released on bail or on his or her own recognizance pending trial. Requests for federal level criminal offender record information, received by the Department of Justice, pursuant to this section, shall be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the Department of Justice.

(c) The Department of Justice shall respond to the Department of Managed Health Care with information as provided under subdivision (p) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code.

(d) The Department of Managed Health Care shall request subsequent arrest notification, from the Department of Justice, as provided under Section 11105.2 of the Penal Code, for applicants described in subdivision (a).

(e) The Department of Justice may assess a fee sufficient to cover the processing costs required under this section, as authorized pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code.

(f) This section does not apply to an employee of the Department of Managed Health Care whose appointment occurred prior to January 1, 2006.

(g) The Department of Managed Health Care may investigate the criminal history for crimes involving moral turpitude of persons applying for employment in order to make a final determination of that person’s fitness to perform duties that would include any access to confidential information.

(Added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 339, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2006.)