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Ask the expert: Which office should be responsible for verifying the credentials of vendors in the OR-the medical staff office or human resources?

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, December 6, 2007

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The reason for credentialing vendor representatives who are going to participate in OR activities (other than if they are simply an observer, in which case they should be treated the same way that a hospital treats any observer) is to examine their capacity to provide clinical assistance to a practitioner in the OR. The people in the best position to make judgments about the clinical capacity of people who are going to assist a physician in the OR are the members of the medical staff, who may be assisted by the medical staff office. 

While there are various ways in which the HR function can assist the medical staff in the credentialing process, such as by gathering information and instituting background checks, the actual determination of whether the vendor representative is clinically qualified to provide clinical support in the OR is not a process the HR is best prepared to do.

Unlike for nurses and other clinical technical personnel, this is not a situation where there are standard qualifications for vendor representatives (and it is less than clear that organizations that purport to credential vendor representatives presently have coherent and transferable standards), so the hospital is relying on clinical judgment to make these decisions. That clinical judgment should be made by the medical staff.

This question was answered by John Reiss, Ph.D., JD, a healthcare attorney with the Saul Ewing law firm in Philadelphia. More information can be found in the audio conference recording Authorizing Vendors in the OR: Create a sound policy to ensure patient safety and avoid legal risk, available here.

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