Credentialing & Privileging

California's licensing delays offer learning opportunities for medical staffs

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, November 12, 2009

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Dear readers,

A medical staff’s credentialing process is similar to a state medical board’s process for issuing licenses. Both involve complicated background checks and copious amounts of paperwork. Therefore, medical staffs can learn best practices from medical boards by monitoring their processes.

The California medical board is currently experiencing a delay in processing applications, according to a November 9 amednews.com article. Reasons for this delay include increased applications, increased complexity in the types of applications the board receives, elimination of overtime pay for the individuals who process the application, and state ordered furloughs. To help eliminate one of these factors and to facilitate the processing of applications, the California Medical Association filed a lawsuit to stop the furloughs.

California’s logjam is similar to the problems that faced the Texas Medical Board in 2007; those problems were profiled in the October 2007 issue of Briefings on Credentialing.  Texas resolved its problems by hiring more staff to process applications, according to the amednews.com article.

If your medical staff is experiencing a delay in processing applications, here are steps to take to resolve the problem:

 

  • Identify the source(s) of the problem.
  • Eliminate nonessential steps in the credentialing, privileging, and reappointment processes.
  • Maximize your current technology, including the Internet, or consider purchasing new software.
  • Involve the applicant in the process, especially if his or her letters of recommendation are past due.
  • Here more employees for your office. It’s a dramatic step to take, but if your office’s delays are due to a long-term increase in volume, it may just be the right solution.

    Sincerely,
    Emily Berry
    Associate Editor



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