Privileging in microhospitals

Featuring a handful of inpatient beds and a narrow selection of community-tailored services, microhospitals are seeking to revolution­ize care delivery in cities across the country.

These pint-sized purveyors of targeted interventions have a two-fold appeal: they present healthcare institutions with a low-risk vehicle for expanding or redefining their market presence and tout faster, more accessible care for patients in hubs where sluggish traffic, overcrowd­ing, and limited building options can put traditional hospital services out of comfortable reach.

When developing new privileging forms or adapting existing templates for the microhospital environment, make sure that outlined privileges only cover the services offered at the location. This is particularly important for practitioners who are seeking work in a system-based microhospital but who don’t currently have privileges at another member location.

“Take a look at what’s in the core, and determine whether or not these procedures are going to be performed at this facility,” says  Kathy Matzka, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP, an independent medical staff consultant in Lebanon, Illinois. The form should not list “things that go above and beyond what kind of services are going to be provided.”

Source: News & Analysis