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Welcoming innovation in the MSO

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, June 28, 2007

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Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS, is a consultant with The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc., specializing in the areas of credentialing and privileging.

Dear credentialing colleague:

Rarely do I meet a medical staff professional (MSP) who does not work extremely hard or take great pride in his or her profession. A 40-hour week is unheard of; MSPs frequently work nights and/or weekends, considering it part of the territory.

However, just as frequently I find a medical staff office (MSO) that is not utilizing its credentialing and/or privileging software to its maximum capabilities, and it would be a definite time-saver if they did so. Or, the MSPs in that office waste time on tasks of little or no value to the credentialing and privileging process, or to the provision of safe patient care. For example, instead of exploring electronic alternatives, they continue to use outdated methods of managing information such as making unnecessary copies of licenses, meeting packets, or governance documents. Additionally, many medical staff offices still make multiple copies of privilege forms because their method of disseminating privileges to those who need such information is a manual process. Or at reappointment MSPs may unnecessarily query references from other affiliations that have no information about the applicant, when, in fact, the MSPs own organization has sufficient clinical activity on the physician to use in making decisions about reprivileging.

It's not that these MSOs are non-compliant with the standards or even that they are failing to incorporate best practices from a verification standpoint. It is that their methods of operations for meeting management, managing expirables, tracking verifications, or communicating with internal and external constituents are outdated. But they continue with those methods because it's the way they've always done things. In my opinion, many in the profession have a resistance to change.

On a recent flight, I read an article that discussed the responsibilities of flight attendants in the 1930s. Among other things, flight attendants were responsible for discouraging passengers from throwing their cigars or cigarettes out the windows and keeping a close watch on passengers who got up to use the rest room to ensure they did not go out through the emergency exit door. Thank goodness the airline industry has progressed!

Imagine if the medical staff profession held on to the same responsibilities it had in the 1990s and did not progress. Ultimately, this would be a career-ending, or at the very least career-limiting, move. Another article I read stated that soon it will be the norm for the baby boomers to have younger bosses. In the world of the MSP, these younger managers likely will be savvier in the use of technology and more in tune with how to optimize operations. Knowledge about accreditation and regulatory standards and the ins and outs of credentialing and privileging will continue to be crucial; however, learning these skills  may very well be secondary.

Whether you are considering new, more efficient methods of communication with your physicians, implementing a paperless credentialing process, or recognizing that you must be more creative in your credentialing and privileging processes, remember that change is necessary-but it also can be uncomfortable and tough to accept.

My husband and I have an ongoing battle over ketchup-specifically about which end is up. Many ketchup brands have newly designed bottles that are meant (in my opinion) to have the cap placed on the table versus having it at the top. This type of packaging is meant to allow for an easier and better flow of the ketchup when it is poured. My husband still insists that the cap must be at the top, even though this means the label will be viewed upside down. This battle severely challenges my obsessive/compulsive nature as an MSP. Interestingly, when I was recently having lunch at a restaurant that uses this type of ketchup bottle, half the patrons put it "right side up" when setting it back on the table and the other half put it "right side down". So while my husband's argument does have some supporters, I see this as a resistance on his part to adapt to something new.

Human nature can be hard to change, yet it is imperative that as MSPs we adapt, are flexible, and avoid becoming like the hamster that spends its life running in place and getting nowhere. I encourage you to try something new and innovative today! And what better place is there to start than in your own office?

Remember, credentialing has no other master than the patient.

Have a safe and happy July 4^th holiday.

All the best,

Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS

http://www.greeley.com/consulting.cfm

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