Conducting OPPE for APPs

Ongoing professional practice evaluation (OPPE) is required for advanced practice professionals (APP) as well as physicians. Data is not as readily available for APPs, so the medical staff office has to be creative. Get your physicians involved. Ask them what indicators they consider valuable in evaluating their APPs.

If you ask several surgeons from different specialties what indicators they would like to track for their APPs, you might get a list like this:

• H&P—complete, appropriate
• Progress notes
• Surgical wound care
• Knowledge of operation
• Surgical skills—suturing, tying, cutting
• Operative/procedure notes
• Discharge summaries

These elements can be included in an evaluation form that the sponsoring physician, or other person involved in the care of the patients, would fill out each OPPE cycle.

If your medical staff prefers chart review to evaluations, some of the same indicators could be used. However, “Knowledge of operation” and “Surgical skills” could not be evaluated through chart review. They are better evaluated through direct observation. This same format can be used for APPs working in medical specialties as well as certified registered nurse anesthetists.

APPs play very important roles in healthcare today. They are becoming more and more specialized and increasingly independent. Know your state regulations, your accrediting standards, and your own credentialing and privileging processes from your bylaws and supporting policies. Remember, our responsibility as medical staff professionals is to help ensure safe, high-quality patient care!

Source: Credentialing A to Z