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Q&A: Credentialing LIPs, AHPs

Credentialing & Verification Update, November 9, 2006

Q: What issues should I consider when credentialing licensed independent practitioners (LIPs) and allied health practitioners (AHPs)?

A: Practitioners considered LIPs are permitted by law to provide patient-care services without direct supervision, and should be credentialed through the same process through which doctors, dentists, and podiatrists are credentialed (most accreditors call for the credentialing of all LIPs). Those professionals who are not permitted to provide unsupervised patient care may be considered AHPs or complementary, integrative, or alternative practitioners (CIAs) and may be credentialed differently-for example, through the human resources department.

Many organizations have found the traditional credentialing process for AHPs and CIAs to be every bit as cumbersome and inefficient as that for LIPs. These organizations have experienced just as many, if not more, complications in credentialing AHPs and CIAs than LIPs. This inefficiency-and the continued discussion over whether the medical director's office of physician services or human resources should be responsible for credentialing AHPs-has led some hospitals to initiate multidisciplinary task forces to examine ways to improve the credentialing process for AHPs. The sheer number of AHPs who must be credentialed will make it financially necessary for hospitals and other organizations to develop efficient, rigorous, and documented credentialing systems.

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