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Why you need a privileging policy to address new technology

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, August 4, 2004

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Dear credentialing colleague:

The delineation of clinical privileges continues to be one of the most complex issues facing today's medical staff. As privileging issues have expanded into the areas of ambulatory care, crossover privileges, privileging for new technology, and privileging in exclusive contractual service areas, the need for a consistent privileging policy is obvious.

In many cases, privileging questions arise and the medical staff has no policy or privileging criteria to follow. These questions can arise under the following circumtances:
- a physician requests a new privilege
- a physician wants to use a new piece of technology
- the operating room scheduler notices something new on the schedule
- the operating staff is requested to set up differently than in the past
- a medical staff professional or department chair brings the issue to your attention
- you read in the local paper that your hospital was the first in the state to introduce this new patient care technique

Current medical staff bylaws rarely provide the guidelines necessary to ensure that privileging is done in an objective, reasonable manner. Therefore, it is suggested that a hospital's medical executive committee, credentials committee, and department chairs agree on and recommend to the board the process through which privileges will be requested, accepted for review, considered, and recommended to the board.

That's it for today.

All the best,
Hugh Greeley
www.greeley.com/seminars/

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