Credentialing Resource Center Connection

In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, asks what healthcare professionals think about the current debate about healthcare in America.

With the economy still in the red, employers’ purse strings are as tight as ever. This penny-pinching doesn’t mean that the need for new office supplies or conference registration fees go away. Have you ever paid for work-related expenses out of your own pocket because the need for them outweighed budget restrictions?

You should review in detail which elements of a background check you want to include in your reports and consider whether such information is already obtained in the current credentialing process.

For example, if you are already querying the applicant’s AMA profile or obtaining direct primary source verification of education and training, it would be duplicative to have the background screening company include that information in its search. Office of Inspector General (OIG) queries are also often included in background screening packages—if your medical staff services department already queries the OIG online, perhaps that portion of the packet can be omitted. Conversely, if it is part of a package deal, omitting it can eliminate an extra step for your department’s personnel.

A clinical assistant (CA) is an individual qualified by academic education and clinical experience or other training to provide patient care services in a clinical or supportive role. CAs provide services only under supervision of a member of the medical staff. CAs provide only those clinical services that are consistent with a written scope of care approved by the medical staff and senior management of the hospital or medical center. CAs are not members of the medical staff and are not privileged through the medical staff.