Some medical staffs include blank lines labeled “other” at the end of privilege request forms—but they shouldn’t. Including blank lines on privilege request forms encourages and invites applicants to add additional privileges that are not currently delineated on the forms and have not been recommended by the medical executive committee or approved by the governing board. One resultant problem is that a practitioner may write in a request for a privilege that is outside of the organization’s scope of services.

The following Q&A is excerpted from the recent webinar, "Verify and Comply: Credentialing Standards Compared and Contrasted." Credentialing expert Carol Cairns, CPMSM, CPCS, answers audience members’ toughest questions regarding new credentialing standards, new types of practitioners, and new practice locations.

Clashing interests and ethics can undermine the integrity of medical staff tasks, create financial disputes between a healthcare institution and the physicians who practice there, disrupt key governance processes, cause rifts that jeopardize patient care, and, in extreme cases, result in costly legal action. During this 90-minute on-demand webinar, expertCatherine Ballard, Esq., will walk attendees through long-standing and emerging internal and external conflicts that can undermine medical staff stability. She will provide practical strategies for addressing these issues and for articulating resolution tactics in governance documents.