There are two ways to view the decision-making process. One way is to view it as a burden, another task that must be accomplished before you move on to more meaningful work. The other way is to view it as an opportunity to improve the current situation. An effective medical staff office should approach decisions about its monitoring process with the second point of view in mind. In January, Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) standard MS 4.30 went into effect, requiring Joint Commission-accredited organizations to validate the competency of newly privileged practitioners through a focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE).

CVOs come in several shapes and sizes and provide a variety of services to their customers. If you think the unifying factor among successful CVOs is that they are all NCQA-certified, you are wrong. Just as not all hospitals are Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO)-accredited, not all CVOs go through the NCQA survey process. Nevertheless, many of them do. Certification is one criterion that customers should check when shopping for a CVO. Other criteria include the price and scope of services, accessibility, and turnaround time for primary source verifications. Certification is one of the options considered when a CVO decides how the organization will manage itself.