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How to process research coordinators

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, October 2, 2008

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Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS, is a consultant with The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc., specializing in the areas of credentialing and privileging.

Dear credentialing colleague:

It is difficult to fit a square peg in a round hole. Most of us are familiar with this saying. We know that it is often used to convey the message that we may be trying to make someone or something fit in an area where they do not really belong.

MSPs are familiar with the medical staff services department being thought of as the “round hole,” where tasks or responsibilities are sent for a lack of anywhere better to send them. The result can be that “square peg” just isn’t a good fit. A familiar example is the processing of non privileged practitioners (a.k.a. clinical assistants) through the medical staff standards via a privileging process. In fact, at a Joint Commission-accredited facility these individuals (who may work as surgical scrub techs, RN first assists, dental technicians, physician employed nurses, or other roles) brought into the facility by a LIP should be processed  through the human resource standards. Previous ezine articles and audioconferences by HCPro have addressed this subject. (To search for these resources, visit www.hcmarketplace.com.)

Recently, one of my clients asked whether RNs who are research coordinators must be credentialed and, if so, whether they should be added to the allied health practitioner category. Research coordinators typically conduct studies both independently and in collaboration with a physician investigator; they follow established protocols for institutional review board compliance by interviewing patients and staff, and then documenting their findings. In addition, they may do some patient education and support regarding a particular type of drug or therapy. Research coordinators are not usually hospital employees.

This particular organization was pursuing the practice of having the medical staff services department process research coordinators. Regardless of which department actually performs this function, these individuals should be credentialed via a policy similar to the one used for the vendor or healthcare representative in the OR.

It is commonplace for industry or manufacturer representatives either training, selling, or giving general advice on how to use a piece of equipment or device or how to perform a new procedure to enter the operating room suite, endoscopy suite, cath lab or other rooms in which special procedures are performed. A policy established and developed by the surgical department should provide guidance and structure for the requirements and procedure by which these individuals will be allowed to provide education or advice to the surgical team regarding their equipment and technology.

Research coordinators could be handled similarly. Should your organization determine that research coordinators will play a role in your facility, an administrative policy should be developed including the requirements, roles, and limitations of the individual. In addition, state laws and regulations, as well as hospital policies relating to orientation, health status, background checks, supervision, and patient consent should be followed. The policy should outline procedures to authenticate an individual’s qualifications and identity. For example, this may mean that the employer of the research coordinator is contacted to validate their credentials and role in the institution.

If the individual also has clinical responsibilities as a nurse, they need to be processed as a clinical assistant through the HR standards.

Remember, credentialing has no other master than the patient.

That’s all for this week.

All the best,

Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS

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