Although nearly all hospitals use professional reference questionnaires during the credentialing process, few have a policy that addresses appropriate use of the questionnaire. Such a policy...
According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, physicians spend approximately 16 minutes per patient visit working with electronic health records (EHR). Of this time, an average of 33% was spent on chart review, 24% on documentation, and 17% on ordering.
Matching the clinical privileges a practitioner requests to his or her demonstrated current competence is critical. To accomplish this goal, hospitals must develop and maintain a criteria-based...
Hospital intensive care units with a larger percentage of African-Americans and Hispanics in their patient mix have not improved outcomes at the same pace as hospitals serving primarily white patients, a new study shows.
If your organization has merged or has been acquired, include crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s in the credentialing process. Even though you have a new sister hospital, your hospital’s credentialing process must still be followed until certain structural changes take effect. This...
Assuming that the medical staff services department does not identify any red flags during the credentialing process, the CEO, VPMA, or service line manager should interview a prospective...
Valley Baptist Health System is the latest organization to join a growing trend, opening a microhospital, in Weslaco, Texas. Facilities known as microhospitals are fast becoming the answer to getting basic ambulatory care services to more people, while avoiding the costs associated with...
It is the medical staff’s and hospital’s responsibility to appoint the members of a hearing panel. There are some well established restrictions that preclude certain individuals from being...
A physician accused of killing patients by overprescribing opioids is now suing Mount Carmel Health System for defamation. William Husel, DO, claims that patients died from their illnesses, not the medication, and that he did not deviate from the hospital’s end-of-life care policy. Husel has...
The degree to which credentials files can be protected from discovery in legal proceedings is generally a matter of state law. Most credentialing work is considered a peer review activity performed by the medical staff and governing board. As a result, state laws generally grant some amount of...
