Ask the expert: Do locum tenens staffing agencies serve as a credentialing verification organization (CVO) for the practitioners they provide?

One of the benefits enjoyed by medical staffs working with a locum tenens agency is that the staffing agency preselects candidates, thereby cutting back on the time the medical staff spends screening candidates. MSPs can also reap time-saving benefits by selecting a locum tenens agency with an internal CVO. Although there may be additional fees attached to this service, it can be advantageous because it may expedite the credentialing process and allow the MSP to focus on other responsibilities. Even if a locum tenens agency does not contain a CVO, it may regularly conduct credentialing-like activities on its practitioners.

The Joint Commission accepts the verifications conducted by this third party if certain requirements are met. There is not a specific standard to refer to. Rather, TJC discusses the use of a CVO within the introduction to Standard MS.06.01.03 and references that the elements a CVO must meet are contained within the glossary under credentials verification organization. 

This week’s question and answer are adapted from Assessing the Competency of Low-Volume Practitioners: Tools and Strategies for OPPE and FPPE Compliance by Mark A. Smith, MD, MBA, CMSL and Sally Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS.