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Provider relations and physician development

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, January 11, 2007

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The medical staff office, and medical service professional (MSP), have relationships with many administrative and clinical departments throughout hospitals and health systems.  Perhaps one of the most key relationships is that between the medical staff office and the provider relations and/or physician recruitment department. Interaction and cooperation between these two departments should be nurtured from both sides.  Although at times it may appear that these departments are on opposite sides of the spectrum, they are in fact both working towards the goals: having high quality providers on the staff and maintaining patient safety.

Practitioner recruitment is a challenge. It is time consuming and can lead to frustration if an excellent candidate is lost due to unexpected or unnecessary delays while credentialing and privileging that particular provider. It is beneficial to provide education for both the physician recruiter and the MSP so that each understands the other's role, processes, and the rationale behind the other's functions.   

It is increasingly recognized that these two departments can achieve much more together than they can apart, and, more and more frequently, these two departments are linked together. The two can work cooperatively to provide a comprehensive package of services to practitioners, including: credentialing and privileging, recruitment and retention, meeting support, social functions, orientation, marketing, and practice start-up.

While understanding the need for confidentiality, the medical staff office should commit to recognizing that the provider relations/physician recruitment office is a customer and treat them accordingly, by making sure to cooperate, communicate, and convey a sense of urgency to get new providers on board.  The provider relations/ physician recruitment office should be respectful of the medical staff office's requirements relating to confidentiality and adherence to laws and regulations, bylaws, and policies and procedures, and be willing to learn about medical staff office procedures related to credentialing and privileging.

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