• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Privileging for hospitalists

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, December 14, 2006

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Credentialing Resource Center Connection!

Hospitalists are hospital-based physicians who manage and provide primary care during a patient's hospitalization. This role is commonly occupied by internists, family medicine physicians, or pediatricians. These practitioners are proficient in coordinating care for patients during surgical procedures, pain management, and performance of common inpatient procedures.

With increasing development and acceptance of hospitalist programs throughout the country, one of the questions frequently asked by medical service professionals, and medical staff leadership is: How do we develop a privileging form for these practitioners?

The guidelines for credentialing and privileging hospitalists should mirror those processes for credentialing and privileging any other type of licensed independent practitioner practicing in your facility.

It is not necessary to create a separate privileging form exclusively for delineating privileges for hospitalists. Your privileging process would direct these physicians to complete the appropriate delineation of privilege form within their respective specialties (for example, an internist would use an internal medicine form, and a pediatrician would complete a pediatric form). 

The form itself should incorporate all inpatient procedures the hospitalist performs that other practitioners within that specialty may not be performing in the hospital setting.  If that is the case, these procedures would not be within the core.  For example, hospitalists might perform lumbar punctures, thoracentesis, or manage the vent.  However, primary care physicians with very little inpatient management, who are practicing mostly within their office setting and focusing on their ambulatory skills, may not perform these procedures or perform them very infrequently. Criteria would need to be established that addresses education, training, and current competency for the applicant to request these special/non-core procedures initially and for maintenance at the time of re-granting of privileges.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Credentialing Resource Center Connection!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive