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Credentialing Resource Center Connection

National credentialing and privileging expert Sally J. Pelletier, CPCS, CPMSM, delivers useful and timely information in her weekly " Credentialing Resource Center Connection" column.

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Credentialing Resource Center Connection

Issue 45, November 19, 2009

• Do you share educational information?

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS discusses how technology expands educational...

• Poll questions: How does your medical staff and/or hospital screen for controlled substances?

  This week features two poll questions about screening for controlled substances. Feel free to...

• Pass it on to your medical staff: New Web site has variety of learning tools

  Whether you’re in charge of tracking CME hours or finding remedial education opportunities...

• Have a Happy Thanksgiving: Credentialing Resource Center Connection will resume on December 4

  In light of the holiday, the Credentialing Resource Center Connection will not publish next week...

Issue 44, November 6, 2009

• Maintaining privacy and security in credentialing documents

  In this week’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS discusses modern security concerns for...

• Featured blog post: MSPs share their thoughts during National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week

  During National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week, we asked MSPs to share their thoughts about...

• Tip of the week: Include specific credentialing details in your CVO contract

  Cheryl Schilke, RN, CPMSM, director of Synernet CVO in Portland, ME, writes contracts that explain...

• New technology not better in bypass surgery, study finds

  Bypass heart surgeries used to be conducted using heart-lung machines, which carried with it a risk...

• California's licensing delays offer learning opportunities for medical staffs

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, explores the link between the work of...

• Featured blog post: National Nurse Practitioner Week highlights primary care shortage

  If you haven’t already heard about it from the nurse practitioners (NP) at your organization...

• Editor's clarification: Encrypted flash drives

  In last week’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS wrote that her hospital was looking into...

• HHS and The Joint Commission produce communication video

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights and The Joint...

Issue 43, October 29, 2009

• Send us your National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week photos

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, gives tips for promoting your...

• Featured blog post: Let's get National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week off to a running start!

  Have you started making plans for National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week celebrations yet...

• Audio clip: Durable medical devices and the lack of cost transparency

  If you’re searching for information to keep your medical device review committees on top of...

• Ask the expert: How did the new specialty certification for child abuse pediatrics evolve?

  Have you ever wondered exactly how specialty boards develop new certifications? The evolution...

Issue 42, October 22, 2009

• Professional group expels physician who treated octuplet's mother

  In this week’s article Emily Berry, associate editor, discusses the relationship among...

• Poll question: What new Clinical Privilege White Papers do you need?

  Thanks to those of you who took our poll in August! We have papers underway for the two procedures...

• Physician with long history of misconduct finally caught by authorities

  Despite being fired from three hospitals, Michael Roy Sharpe, MD, was never disciplined by a state...

• Deadline extended for CRC Symposium speaker applications

  Many thanks to everyone who has already submitted speaker applications for the 2010 Credentialing...

• Play a part in building and test driving the next credentialing innovation

  How often have you thrown up your hands in frustration when juggling the daily tasks of...

• Editor's pick: FPPE and OPPE are privilege-specific

  FPPE and OPPE requirements raise the bar for anyone involved in privileging. The Joint Commission...

Issue 41, October 15, 2009

• Well-being at work

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, compares the results of a study of...

• Poll question: Reimbursing for practitioner certifications

  In this week’s poll question we want to know if your organization helps pay for a...

• Featured blog post: Photo slideshow from the NAMSS conference

  Check out our photo slideshow from last week’s NAMSS conference on the Credentialing Resource...

• Editor’s pick: What’s your credentialing software missing?

  If your medical staff office’s existing credentialing software helps you create and generate...

• Play a part in building and test driving the next credentialing innovation

  How often have you thrown up your hands in frustration when juggling the daily tasks of...

Issue 40, October 1, 2009

• Editor's pick: Credentialing Resource Center Symposium Speaker Application

  Calling all medical staff professionals and medical staff leaders: Have you mastered your...

• To act or not to act on the Joint Commission’s 2010 prepublications standards

  In this week's column, Emily Berry, associate editor, discusses the annual challenge MSPs face...

• Tip of the week: Develop a form for tracking expired immunizations

  If your organization requires documentation of tuberculosis or other immunizations, MSPs should...

• Ask the expert: What do medical staffs do with the results of a criminal background check?

  Some facilities prohibit healthcare professionals from joining their medical staffs if they were...

Issue 39, October 1, 2009

• Finding the joy of less in a paperless office

  In this week’s column Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS, gives readers concrete solutions for moving...

• Featured blog post: The aging physician: Balancing safety, respect, and dignity

  Our older colleagues deserve to be treated with dignity. The best approach does so while enabling...

• Editor’s pick: Credentialing Resource Center Symposium Speaker Application

  Calling all medical staff professionals and medical staff leaders: Have you mastered your...

• Poll results: Does your medical staff use preapplications?

  Last week we asked how many of you use preapplications. Over 150 of you took our poll and the...

• CP+ breakfast demo at NAMSS conference

  We are pleased to extend you a personal invitation for a free demonstration of our exciting...

Issue 38, September 24, 2009

• Before the holidays hit, make sure your locum tenens policies are in order

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, offers tips for improving your locum...

• State medical board will hear unprofessional charges against OB-GYN

  Some state medical boards keep their practitioner investigations confidential, and the public only...

• Featured blog post: Poll question: Does your medical staff use pre-applications?

  In the November issue of Briefings on Credentialing we examine the current use of pre-applications...

• Editor's pick: Credentialing Resource Center Symposium Speaker Application

  Calling all medical staff professionals and medical staff leaders: Have you mastered your...

Issue 37, September 17, 2009

• Tip of the week: Improve reappointment process with face-to-face sessions

  The October issue of Briefings on Credentialing features a case study about a new reappointment...

• Report recommends yearly external credentialing audits for troubled hospital

  Quality oversight and credentialing concerns are not limited to U.S. hospitals, as a recent...

• Featured blog post: Platinum CRC subscribers now have access to the Credentialing and Privileging Desktop Reference

  Attention all Platinum CRC subscribers: you’ve just been upgraded! Your subscription now...

• The healthcare debate and advance practice professionals

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, explores how privileging advance practice...

Issue 36, September 10, 2009

• Who says you have to go cold turkey when transitioning to a paper-free office?

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, offers tips for a gradual transition to...

• The debate continues: Nurses who reported physician to the Texas Medical Board file federal appeal

  While the motion to dismiss criminal charges against two nurses who reported a physician to the...

• Featured blog post: Enhance your MSP training with online learning

  Once upon a time, training sessions involved cracking open thick text books and listening to dull...

• Win two free seats at the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  Have you entered this month’s contest for two free seats at the Greeley Medical Staff...

Issue 35, September 3, 2009

• The potential impact of electronic medical records on MSPs

  In this month’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS, discusses the ways EMRs impact MSPs&rsquo...

• Featured blog post: Physician reappointment tools

  Thank you to all the readers who submitted entries for the August giveaway for two free seats at...

• Georgetown University sued over defamatory NPDB entry

  Carlos F. Gomez, MD brought charges against Georgetown University because of its National...

• Tip of the week: Know the key elements of a credentialing acknowledgement form

  The following are the key elements of a credentialing acknowledgement form:

Issue 34, August 27, 2009

• New HIPAA regulations for medical staffs

  Emily Berry, associate editor, discusses the new HIPAA regulations and the ways in which it may...

• Credentialing trends: Growing need for autism practitioners

  What specialties can your medical staff services department expect to credential more of in the...

• Ask the expert: Is it acceptable to use the phrase "board eligible" in credentialing documents?

  The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has issued a policy statement advising its member...

• Featured blog post: Clinical Privilege White Papers poll

  We’re updating several of our Clinical Privilege White Papers and want to hear from you which...

Issue 33, August 20, 2009

• Applicants beware: MSPs will evaluate how well you follow directions

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS stresses the importance for practitioners to...

• Featured blog post: Rural and CAH sessions at CRC Symposium

  To improve next year’s Credentialing Resource Center Symposium we need to hear from you...

• Ask the expert: Where can I learn more about the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS)?

  FCVS fact sheets are available on the Federation of State Medical Boards’ (FSMB) Web site...

• Updated substance abuse treatment directory may help impaired practitioners

  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U.S...

Issue 32, August 13, 2009

• Multiple ways to fix a mistake

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, discusses the importance of multiple...

• Featured blog post: NAMSS issues MS.1.20 statement

  The National Association Medical Staff Services issued a letter on August 7 declaring its support...

• MA Supreme Court rules state medical board can access peer review information

  The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine can access confidential peer review information...

• Tip of the week: Present reappointment applicant’s quality file to department chief for review

  MSPs should present the practitioner’s updated quality file to the department chief at the...

Issue 31, August 6, 2009

• Conflict of interest disclosures

  In this week’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS outlines ways medical staffs can ensure...

• Malpractice trial focuses on physician with temporary privileges

  The malpractice trial began yesterday for John Christian Gunn, MD whose patient Herberta...

• Ask the expert: Does DNV approve core privileging?

  Yes. Core privileges are specifically mentioned as an appropriate privileging option in the...

• Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board

  Anne Mitchell, RN and Vicki Galle, RN, two nurses from Texas, tried reporting a physician’s...

Issue 30, July 30, 2009

• Most credentialing applications make it over the first hurdle

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, shares findings from a recent poll...

• Reader feedback: Never events in credentialing

  Never events is the term those in healthcare give to clinical events that should never happen, such...

• CP+ demonstration

  Managing criteria-based privileges is a complex task. Consider a software add-on that will help you...

• Hospital seeks gag order over "negligent credentialing" ad

  An Arkansas law firm seeking witnesses in a malpractice case may have crossed the line with its...

Issue 29, July 23, 2009

• Never events in credentialing

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, asks readers which credentialing errors...

• Poll results: Do you Twitter?

  Last week, I joined Twitter (@CRC_EmilyB) and wanted to know how many of you are also on...

• Featured blog post: How many applications don’t make it to the credentials committee?

  The credentialing process has many steps, and sometimes practitioners don’t advance very far...

• Medversant sues Morrisey Associates, Inc. over credentialing patent

  Medversant Technologies LLC is taking Morrissey Associates, Inc. to court over an alleged patent...

Issue 28, July 16, 2009

• Don’t let your temporary privileges process become lax

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, reminds readers to be vigilant when...

• Featured blog post: Do you Twitter?

  To fulfill our goal of sending you the latest credentialing news in the most convenient way, we...

• Tip of the week: Flag new privilege requests on a reappointment application

  MSPs should flag new privilege requests and the supporting documentation to bring it to the...

• National telehealth network planned

  Medical staffs may have more telemedicine providers to credential due to a new, national telehelath...

• Questions about Low-Volume/No-Volume Practitioners?

  Credentialing Resource Center subscribers can access a new special report, Low-Volume/No-Volume...

Issue 27, July 9, 2009

• Mid-year assessments

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, encourages readers to conduct a...

• Reader responses: How dire is our healthcare crisis?

  In a recent issue of the Credentialing Resource Center Connection e-mail newsletter, we asked MSPs...

• Physician-patient online communication continues to rise

  Communication, one of the six general competencies, is an important factor in quality healthcare...

• Ask the expert: Is it necessary to query the NPDB for APPs and CAs?

  There is no National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) requirement to query or report on other...

Issue 26, June 26, 2009

• Poll results: Have you ever paid for work-related expenses out of your own pocket?

  Last week, we asked how many of you pay for work-related expenses out of your own...

• Featured blog post: Listen to your medical staff

  We compiled tips from MSPs about how they achieve buy-in from the medical staff in the August issue...

• Tip of the week: Detail credential committee information in bylaws

  If your bylaws contain a section on the credentials committee, then part of that should include a...

• The expanding role of MSPs

  In this week’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS, discusses how the role of the MSP has...

Issue 25, June 25, 2009

• How dire is our healthcare crisis?

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, asks what healthcare professionals...

• Featured blog post: Have you ever paid for work-related expenses out of your own pocket?

  With the economy still in the red, employers’ purse strings are as tight as ever. This...

• Tip of the week: When ordering criminal background checks exclude duplicate data

  You should review in detail which elements of a background check you want to include in your...

• Ask the expert: What is a clinical assistant?

  A clinical assistant (CA) is an individual qualified by academic education and clinical experience...

Issue 24, June 18, 2009

• 2001: A Medical Staff Odyssey

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, reflects on how far medical staff services...

• Michigan hospitals affected by GM's bankruptcy

  Across the nation, hospitals are feeling the effects of the economic recession. The auto industry...

• Ask the expert: Would denying privileges due to lack of board certification violate the CoPs?

  Q: Can a hospital require board certification for medical staff membership and privileges, even...

• Featured blog post: Could private hospital start laying off doctors to fix budget woes?

  New Jersey state mental hospitals have laid off 16 doctors in order to fix budget gaps, according...

Issue 23, June 11, 2009

• How will your medical staff process additional FDA information?

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, talks about the FDA’s new...

• Editor's pick: Listen to an audio clip about physician-hospital alignment strategies

  If your non-credentialing responsibilities include the working with the business side of the...

• Featured blog post: Telemedicine doctor with out of state license sentenced to prison

  Practitioners prescribing medication need to be licensed to practice in the state where they are...

• Tip of the week: Affiliation letter safeguards allow you to disclose more information

  “If there is a reason why a disclosing party does not want to provide information [in a...

Issue 22, June 4, 2009

• Temporary, disaster, locum tenens, and emergency privileges

  In this week’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS provides definitions for...

• Editor's pick: What's your credentialing software missing?

  If your medical staff office’s existing credentialing software helps you create and generate...

• Featured blog post: 2009 MSP Salary Survey results

  The results of our 2009 MSP Salary Survey are in! Briefings on Credentialing subscribers received...

• Poll results: Has your department reported a practitioner to the NPDB?

  Last week, we wrote about a new study that claims that hospitals are not reporting practitioners to...

• AdvaMed and other healthcare groups pledge to cut spending

  Pledging to cut up to $1.7 trillion in healthcare spending over the next ten years, representatives...

Issue 21, May 28, 2009

• Hurricane Preparedness Week is a good time to review disaster privileging policies

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor encourages readers to regularly review...

• Tip of the week: FPPE is privilege-specific

  Register for a live free Webex demonstration of Core Privilege Plus on Tuesday, June 9 at 1:00 ET...

• Poll results: What do you call nurse practitioners and physician assistants?

  Last week we asked readers what terms their organizations use to describe nurse practitioners and...

• Video clip: New technology mimics human eye

  Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign have developed a new digital camera...

• Featured blog post: Hospitals not reporting to NPDB, study claims

  Hospitals are not reporting practitioners to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) as often as...

Issue 20, May 21, 2009

• Reflections on the CRC Symposium

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, reflects on last week’s...

• Featured blog post: CRC Symposium photo slideshow

  Our 12th annual Credentialing Resource Center Symposium may be finished, but the lessons learned...

• Poll Question: What do you call a nurse practitioner and physician assistant?

  Allied health professionals, physician extenders, advanced practice professionals—the list...

Issue 19, May 8, 2009

• Background Checks

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS asks how familiar you are with your...

• Featured blog post: How are you spending your CRC Symposium downtime?

  This week’s poll question is a Credentialing Resource Center Symposium exclusive. We want to...

• Ask the expert: Are CRNAs eligible for fair hearing rights?

  Q: Your hospital board has decided that it is in the best interest of patient care to grant an...

• Report shows continued physician shortage in rural areas

  Hard Times in the Heartland a government report released earlier this month, continues to document...

• Simulation training worth the high costs

  A study released by Danish researches last week highlighted findings well-known to Children’s...

Issue 18, May 7, 2009

• The credentialing cash flow

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor, reflects on the two way street of...

• Medical device manufacturers feeling hospital budget crunches

  Although medical device manufacturers are trying to put a rosy spin on their finances for...

• Paperless ways for credentials committees to review files

  When it comes time to review credentialing applications, do you hand committee members a stack of...

• Featured blog post: Listen to an audio clip clarifying PA and LIP terminology

  Patricia Spurlock, assistant director of professional affairs at the American Academy of Physician...

Issue 17, April 30, 2009

• Medical staff orientation and communication needs

  In this week’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS, outlines some examples of initial...

• Poll results: Work gap verifications

  The results are in from last week’s poll. We asked readers what work gap length does your...

• Free Form Friday: Financial terms tip sheet

  Got money on the brain? You’re not alone. From reading national news stories about the...

• Reader responses: How do you practice interoffice networking?

  Last week’s column gave tips for interoffice networking to save time and build relationships...

• Participate in a Briefings on Credentialing article about medical staff fees

  Does your organization charge practitioners an application or reapplication fee? What about fees...

Issue 16, April 23, 2009

• Interoffice networking, for productivity and comradeship

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, associate editor outlines simple ways MSPs can engage in...

• Implantable mini-telescope helps patients suffering from vision loss

  Patients who suffer from macular degeneration may one day be able see better with the help of a...

• Featured blog post: Take our work gap verifications poll

  Most organizations require practitioners to provide a written statement explaining gaps in work...

• Privilege suspension, arrest for anesthesiologist accused of steroid trafficking

  A Tulsa, OK anesthesiologist was arrested last week on complaints of possession of anabolic...

Issue 15, April 16, 2009

• Going green in your office - just in time for Earth Day!

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, encourages MSPs to go green to save office...

• Featured blog post: Sales of fake medical certifications under investigation

  The Connecticut Attorney General is investigating complaints from the American Board of Internal...

• Editor's Pick: Free core privileges Webex

  Create a mechanism for ensuring that your organization’s criteria-based clinical privileges...

• New device helps fight blindness in premature babies

  Researchers are hoping a new imaging device will help eye doctors better diagnose a particular type...

Issue 14, April 9, 2009

• Employed advanced practice nurses and physician assistants

  In this week's column Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS, answers the question: “Can an employed...

• Editor’s pick: Win free registration to the upcoming CRC Symposium

  We know budgets are tight. So, in an effort to make this year’s CRC Symposium in Las Vegas...

• Featured blog post: Physician extends the definition of ’privilege’

  The Medical Board of California revoked Roy Chi Wing Lung, MD’s medical license after he was...

• National credentialing standards for industry reps in the OR in draft form

  AdvaMed and 10 other healthcare organizations are working together to create national standards for...

• New stent leaves after the work is done

  Coronary stents save lives, but they leave behind metal scaffolding in a way cardiologists say is...

• CP+ Webex demonstration 4/21

  Many medical staff services departments are challenged to redesign clinical privileges in all...

Issue 13, April 2, 2009

• Ask the expert: How does HFAP address the fair hearing and appeal process?

  The American Osteopathic Association’s Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP...

• Featured blog post: How will the "conscience rule" affect your facility?

  A federal regulation nicknamed the conscience rule is back in the news again in a March 23 article...

• Survey: Few U.S. hospitals totally converted to EHR

  A survey directed by a physician who will soon become President Barack Obama’s health...

• Determining which clinical privileges are special, or outside the core

  In this week’s column, Maureen Coler, Executive Editor, walks readers through the process of...

Issue 12, March 19, 2009

• Featured blog post: Is certification required for your practitioners?

  Does your facility view professional certification for practitioners as essential or an add-on...

• Plastic surgeon had hospital privileges suspended two years before medical license suspended

  A North Carolina-based plastic surgeon who had his hospital privileges suspended two years ago...

• Tip of the week: Aging practitioner policies should not focus on individuals

  One circumstance to consider when developing a credentialing and privileging policy is practitioner...

• Ask the expert: What does "individually identifiable health information" mean under HIPPA?

  “Individually identifiable health information” is information, including demographic...

• Retired physician re-entering the medical staff

  In this week's column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, explains a curious situation that has...

Issue 11, March 12, 2009

• Featured blog post: Retiring MSP has office renamed in her honor

  MSPs work long hours. They’re expected wear several hats at the same time. And to top it off...

• Letter from the Editor: A new look and feel is coming soon!

  Are you interested in learning more about the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses...

• Ask the expert: What’s next for an applicant after the governing board issues unfavorable recommendations?

  If the final recommendation from the board is unfavorable to the applicant, the organization should...

• Tip of the week: When converting to core, start with easy to manage specialties

  Some specialties or subspecialties will, by their nature or design, be easier to convert from...

• Medical Device Safety Act introduced in congress

  Patients should be allowed to sue a medical device manufacturer if the company’s device...

• By the numbers, credentialing trends to track

  In this week's column, Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS, outlines important credentialing trends to...

Issue 10, March 5, 2009

• Joint Commission updates and compliance with CMS regulations

  Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS, is the director of medical affairs at Children's Medical Center of...

• Editor’s pick: What’s your credentialing software missing?

  If your medical staff office’s existing credentialing software helps create and generate...

• Tip of the week: Format meeting minutes to showcase follow-up items

  With all of the work that the medical staff services department is responsible for, things can fall...

• Ask the expert: What are the differences among managed care accrediting agencies regarding credentialing requirements?

  Although accrediting standards often change, there have been no recent significant differences...

• Urban allied health professionals earn more than non-urban peers, says study

  Advanced practice professionals and clinical assistants, the two categories of allied health...

• Free Form Friday returns: ED call compensation white paper

  We received a terrific response to the free forms we posted on the Credentialing Resource Center...

• Featured blog post: The verifications department at a locum tenens firm

  A locum tenens firm’s verification department is integral in verifying the quality of...

Issue 9, February 26, 2009

• What’s the best way to rollout new privileges?

  In this week’s column, Maureen Coler, Executive Editor, identifies three main ways hospitals...

• Featured blog post: How locums firms work with medical staff offices

  A locums firm’s privileging department is the liaison between the locum tenens physician and...

• Ask the expert: Which is the better phrase to use in cultural competency policies: gender identity or gender expression?

  Gender identity is a term that is used to describe whether an individual identifies as female...

• Tip of the week: Best sources for verifying nursing home affiliations

  Many practitioners have longstanding affiliations with nursing homes, but nursing homes rarely have...

• Most state medical boards don’t track inactive physicians, according to new study

  The majority of state medical boards allow physicians to renew their licenses independent of their...

• Editor's pick: Listen to a free, audio preview of our credentialing and privileging workshop for medical staff leaders

  Time is money, and these days no one can afford to be without either commodity! That's why HCPro...

Issue 8, February 19, 2009

• Credentialing and peer review disclosure in lawsuits

  In this week's column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS discusses emerging peer review issues. Policies...

• Tip of the week: Organize documents before a Joint Commission survey

  Make sure you know the location of all policies and procedures that The Joint Commission may need...

• Ask the expert: Is CMS’s State Operations Manual law?

  No, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) State Operations Manual (SOM) is...

• California HealthCare Foundation releases retail clinic report

  States are taking different regulatory approaches to retail clinics, according to a recent report...

Issue 7, February 12, 2009

• Conflict of interest questions on a credentialing application

  In this week’s column, Emily Berry, Associate Editor, raises some questions surrounding...

• Credentials of chief medical officer in doubt

  A chief medical officer responsible for checking the credentials other practitioners at the...

• Ask the expert: What's the latest news about MS.1.20?

  The next meeting of the MS.1.20 task force is set to meet in March, according to the January issue...

• Tip of the week: Debunk core privileging myths to gain practitioner buy-in

  If your medical staff services department is working to implement a core privileging system, you...

Issue 6, February 5, 2009

• Editor’s pick: Medical Staff Leader Virtual Training Workshop

  It’s a new year, which means you have new medical staff leaders on your team. We can’t...

• There's a time and place for expedited credentialing

  In this week’s column, Anne Roberts, CPMSM, CPCS outlines the Joint Commission’s...

• Featured blog post: Putnam General's Dr. King is back in court

  Remember John King, MD, the osteopathic surgeon whose partial loss of privileges at Putnam General...

• Daschle withdraws from HHS nomination

  Former U.S. senator Thomas Daschle, President Obama’s choice for Secretary of Health and...

• Tip of the week: Streamline operations in your medical staff services department

  Streamlining operations can go hand-in-hand with increased efficiency and productivity. The...

• Ask the expert: How can I define professionalism in medical staff policies?

  The following is a good definition of professionalism: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate...

Issue 5, January 29, 2009

• Free Form Friday: OPPE policy

  Welcome back to the fifth – and final -  week of Free Form Friday! This week’s...

• What new credentialing laws would you make?

  Has all the hype surrounding the new president got you thinking about what changes you would make...

• Court rules hospital wrongly removed physician’s privileges

  The Montana Supreme Court ruled that St. James Healthcare in Butte wrongly removed Jesse Cole...

• Ask the expert: When must residents be credentialed and privileged?

  When they work outside of their residency program. Typically, residents are not granted privileges...

• Tip of the week: Create a group to evaluate, streamline competency reports

  When considering a change to the format of your physician competency feedback report, assemble a...

• Speakers wanted: Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  Are you interested in sharing your strategies for tackling contemporary medical staff challenges...

Issue 4, January 22, 2009

• Editor's pick: Medical staff leader training series

  It’s a new year, which means you have new medical staff leaders on your team. We can’t...

• Storing quality data across departments

  In this week’s column, Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS, discusses how quality departments and...

• Study notes value of practitioner-patient agreement on care options

  A new study which tracked knee replacement patients found that patients were happier with their...

• Tip of the week: Send reference requests to the VPMA

  In order for the disclosing hospital to present a clear and uniform representation of a...

• Ask the expert: What’s the best process for revising draft core privileging criteria?

  For each specialty, assemble the information you have gathered, along with the draft core...

• Free Form Friday - Application for medical staff reappointment

  Welcome back to the fourth week of Free Form Friday! This week’s form is an application for...

Issue 3, January 15, 2009

• Resolving practitioner health questions

  In this week’s column, Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS recounts a discussion she had with...

• West Virginia physician claims privileges revoked without justification

  A West Virginia family physician filed a lawsuit against a hospital claiming the medical staff...

• Free Form Friday: Audit tool for reappointment applicants

  Welcome back to the third week of Free Form Friday – and the first week featuring the new...

• Ask the expert: Is there a device manufacture's code of ethics?

  Yes. In fact, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) recently released a revised...

• Tip of the week: Carefully choose language when communicating with applicants

  MSPs should be extremely careful in their language choice when interacting with medical staff...

Issue 2, January 8, 2009

• Privileging software benefits

  Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS, is a consultant with The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro...

• Editor's Pick: Register for a live Webex demonstration of Core Privilege Plus Software

  Don’t divide your time between developing privileging forms from scratch and searching for a...

• US health costs help promote medical tourism

  The combination of rising US health costs and the economic downturn have led more Americans to...

• Ask the expert: What are the five basic rules of credentialing?

  The following are the five basic rules of credentialing:

• Tip of the week: Outline your application process in bylaws or associated documents

  Medical staff bylaws or associated documents should contain a provision for how applications are...

• Free Form Friday: Letter denying application request

  Welcome back to the second week of Free Form Friday. This week’s form is a sample letter...

Issue 3, April 9, 2009

• Featured blog post: Physician extends the definition of ’privilege’

  The Medical Board of California revoked Roy Chi Wing Lung, MD’s medical license after he was...

Issue 1, March 26, 2009

• A closer look at HFAP's privileging system requirements

  In this week’s column, Annette Van Veen Gippe, deputy director of the American Osteopathic...

• Buyer beware: What's your new technology FDA approved for?

  PathoLase is marketing its PinPointe laser as a treatment for toenail fungus even though the...

• Tip of the week: Strive for work/life balance

  Many MSPs describe their jobs as stressful and challenging, which further underscores  the...

• Poll results: Is certification required for your practitioners?

  Last week’s blog poll question asked if certification is required for your practitioners...

• Featured blog post: Doctor accuses hospital of falsifying patient records in privileging dispute

  A Utah doctor who lost his privileges at one hospital is now suing the same facility for allegedly...