Credentialing & Privileging

Finding the joy of less in a paperless office

Credentialing Resource Center Connection , October 1, 2009

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Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS, is the director of medical affairs at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, where she oversees the medical administration, graduate medical education, and medical staff services departments.

Dear credentialing colleague:

Many hospitals have achieved a paperless medical staff office thanks to the help of numerous credentialing software programs that help streamline processes and assist with transitioning from a paper process to an electronic process. However, for those organizations that do not have this software or who perhaps are not quite ready to let go of their files, there are many things that MSPs can do to begin streamlining processes and moving towards a paper-less office.

E-mail and the Internet have been a daily part of the job since I entered the workforce. As technology continues to advance, we often can’t imagine how things were done without it. I can’t imagine life without my Blackberry now, whereas, three years ago if I had an urgent e-mail I may not have known it until the next morning! It was around the same time that I received my first Blackberry that I really started to identify current processes that we could streamline by removing the paper process from it. The following are examples of some of the things that we have implemented over the past three to five years that have helped streamline processes while saving a lot of trees:

  • Online orientation – Our orientation for our medical students, residents, fellows, attending practitioners and other credentialed providers is primarily accomplished through online computer based training (CBT) modules. Below are just a handful of subjects that are included in our CBTs for credentialed practitioners:
    o HIPAA Training
    o Stress & Fatigue (participants in GME programs)
    o Infection Control
    o Hospital Safety Codes
    o Pain Management Scales
    o Sedation Module & Post Test
    o Code of Ethical Conduct
    o Medical Staff Bylaws, Rules & Regulations, Policies & Procedures
    o Medical Record Documentation Requirements

  • Paperless meetings – A few years ago we were able to get enough funding approved to purchase laptops to use for all of our medical staff committees. All committees are now paperless. The packets are all put into a PDF with bookmarks, hyperlinks and our personal notes/comments. We do not have minute binders; all meeting materials are electronic and saved on our shared drive (which is backed up by our IT department every three days). We identified that the laptops paid for themselves within six months as we significantly decreased the amount of time and labor that it took to prepare for all of the committee meetings. Additionally, we no longer had the cost of copying and printing the packets.

  • Paperless application and privileges – We have not yet implemented the module within our credentialing database that will push the application and privileges out directly from the system. However, in the meantime we have identified ways to streamline the process. All initial and reappointment application packets for all practitioners are sent to the applicant via email.

  • E-newsletter – Primarily all physician communication is sent out through e-mail. We have developed an e-newsletter that we send out at least twice a month (some times more frequently, if needed). We include in it: important announcements, policy changes, links to important documents, introductions of new physicians and many other important topics.

  • Medical staff leadership orientation – Whenever we have new medical staff leaders appointed, whether it be a new department chief or a newly elected medical staff officer (such as the president of the medical staff), we give them a welcome packet. The packet includes a jump drive that has a lot of useful information such as FAQ’s, roles and responsibilities, committee appointment information, calendar of relevant dates, conflict management resources and any other information that we feel or have been told are useful tools for physician in a new leadership position.

  • Active staff voting – The process of printing out ballots and having physicians check a box to indicate whether or not they concur with the recommended changes seemed mundane. We have replaced the paper ballots with e-ballots and they now vote via an electronic survey whenever we have substantive amendments to our bylaws. Additionally, we send our ballots for electing officers out through the electronic survey tool.

These are all examples of things that MSPs can do to become paperless even without the paperless credentialing database.


Remember, clear, effective communication is the key to success!

That's all for this week.

All the best,

Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS



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