Spot red flags in peer evaluations
This week, CRC Daily covers credentialing. Peer evaluations, which speak to a practitioner’s current competence and abilities, play a key role in this process. MSPs and medical staff leaders must set guidelines for selecting peers who can provide high-quality, trustworthy, and timely information. Ask applicants to identify references who have current knowledge of their abilities, typically within the past two years. If an applicant has been out of training less than two years, one of the peer evaluations should be from the program director of the most recently completed training.
Sometimes, applicants may name peers who don’t fit the bill to cover up trouble spots in their history or to otherwise make their application more appealing. The following scenario illustrates one such red flag, and offers advice on how to proceed once it’s identified.
Dr. Springer is a hospitalist who has worked at several hospitals in your area for the past three years. He has submitted an application for staff membership and privileges at your hospital and lists three peers as references on his application.
When the peer evaluations come back, you notice that none of the peers have worked with Dr. Springer in the past three years. The answers to the “time frame” and “setting” questions indicate that they knew the applicant several years ago during residency.
What do you do next:
1. Accept the peer references and continue to process the application?
No, you should not accept these peer references. They do not address current competency.
2. Inform your credentials committee that the application doesn’t look good?
Yes, it is a good idea to keep your credentials committee and department chairs updated on the progress of an application, especially when concerns are identified.
3. Ask the applicant to give you three more references from the local hospitals where he is currently on staff?
Yes, asking for additional references who have worked with the applicant in the past two years is the best route to take. You may be specific in asking for references from his most recent active hospital.
Red flag
Do you see a red flag in this scenario? You should! There is a reason that Dr. Springer did not list any current references. It could be many things, but it is your job to find out why. In addition to seeking three new peer evaluations, this situation warrants some detective work.
Your application asks for current and past hospital affiliations. Make a phone call to the medical staff office at Dr. Springer’s current affiliations. People might be willing to tell you things on the phone that they would be hesitant to put in writing. In addition, your department chair should make a call to the department chair at the applicant’s current facility. Depending on what you find out from these phone calls, additional calls may be necessary.
Source: Credentialing A to Z