Emergency privileges are not disaster privileges

Emergency privileges are not disaster privileges (and they’re not clinical privileges in emergency medicine). Nor are they defined in accreditation standards. Emergency privileges are simply temporary privileges granted in an urgent situation.

Disaster privileges are defined in the Emergency Management chapter of The Joint Commission standards and are implemented during disasters such as the aftermath of a hurricane. In contrast, the term “emergency privileges” usually refers to a situation where a patient is in need of urgent care (i.e., the patient would be at risk of harm if he or she were moved), and no physician on the medical staff can provide the care necessary. In this situation, a practitioner may be given privileges to care for the patient until the situation is resolved.

Emergency privileges are not defined by accrediting bodies, but they may be defined as a special type of temporary privilege in your bylaws. The Joint Commission only refers to two types of temporary privileges—privileges for an important patient care need, and temporary privileges for an applicant with a clean application that is waiting to go through the medical executive committee and board approval process. Regardless of what your medical staff decides to call this type of privilege—be it “Emergency,” “Temporary Privileges for Care of a Specific Patient,” or some other name—you must verify current licensure and current competence.

Source: The Medical Staff Office Manual