Medical Staff Services

COVID-19 has driven an increase in temporary staffing to meet healthcare demands, and with that comes the adjusted privileging requirements of disasters and states of emergency. Typically, however, qualifying disasters are natural phenomena that might cause power outages, internet loss, or other equipment failures that make background checks difficult. COVID-19 is different.

During our current health crisis, it is even more vital that healthcare organizations blend patient-first care with operational expertise. Physician leaders are on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis, and they’re under a lot of pressure to provide exceptional care while maintaining operational excellence.

Shortages among physicians and other healthcare professionals are impacting healthcare organizations across the nation. But that doesn’t mean that healthcare organizations have to sacrifice quality of care. Credentialing cements a physician or other healthcare provider’s knowledge and skills so a healthcare organization can make the right personnel and hiring decisions. In the face of these staffing shortages, medical services professionals (MSPs) often stand between uncredentialed physicians and other healthcare workers and patient safety.

Earlier this month, medical services professionals (MSPs) gathered in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, for the 43rd National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) Educational Conference and Exhibition. The 2019 conference theme, “Going the Distance: The Future of our Profession,” reflects the association’s forward-thinking approach to the evolving role of the medical services profession in the healthcare industry.

New initiatives are a powerful driving force in healthcare, helping organizations reach efficiency benchmarks and harness new technologies to better serve patients. But they also can be overwhelming, giving employees a mountain of goals and responsibilities: Improve patient care. Digitize all patient and employee data. Improve provider retention. Shorten patient wait times.

Long the gatekeepers of patient safety within the healthcare industry, medical services professionals (MSPs) are taking on more complex roles as the industry continues to shift to value-based care rather than a volume-based model.

Earlier this month, medical services professionals (MSPs) gathered at the Long Beach Convention Center in California for the 42nd National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) Educational Conference and Exhibition. The 2018 conference theme, “Innovation for Patient Safety,” not only reflects the constant forces driving change in the healthcare industry, but also the medical services profession’s ongoing commitment to patient safety.

Several years ago, my colleague Vu T. Do, PreCheck’s Vice President of Compliance, discussed a growing concern for employers as our investigators noticed an uptake in the detection and reporting of diploma mills. Unfortunately, this is not the only trend with which healthcare employers should be concerned.

Last week, drug testing expert Nina M. French from the Current Consulting Group presented the important changes affecting healthcare employers’ drug testing programs during PreCheck’s webinar. In case you missed the live presentation, a recorded version is now available from our Resources Library.

Hospitals can be drawn into lawsuits involving physician negligence with “negligent credentialing” claims and the results can be costly for any healthcare organization. Attorney fees and the costs of settling a negligent credentialing case can exceed $100 million, as in the 2012 case of Jane Doe v. Bradley, for example.