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Tip of the Week: Three key steps to verification during reappointment

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, April 19, 2007

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In the past, once a physician was granted privileges at a hospital, they never had to go through the privileging process again. Of course, that is no longer the case now that accreditation and licensing standards require a reappointment component to physician privileging. Courts have also imposed a strict duty on hospitals to protect patient safety by regularly reviewing competency and supervising the physician once they join the medical staff.

But where should an MSP begin with the reappointment process? As it turns out, it starts in much the same way it did when the physician was first appointed-with a thorough verification strategy. According to case law, the following three steps most effectively limit patient injuries and hospital liability for negligent retention claims:

1. Contact other hospitals at which the physician has privileges to determine whether any adverse actions have occurred since his or her initial appointment or whether any such actions currently are pending

2. Contact the physician's peers to determine his or her general reputation in the community

3. Contact malpractice insurers to verify insurance status and obtain claims and settlement history

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