The traditional arrangement when a physician applies for clinical privileges at a health system is that the medical staff services department collects information from multiple sources to verify the physician’s current competence specifically related to the privileges requested. Then the medical staff, through its defined processes, ultimately makes recommendations about those privilege requests to the governing board, which approves, modifies, or rejects the medical staff recommendations. With employed physicians, the process is basically the same but with a few little twists and turns that medical staff leaders should understand.

Have an all-star MSP on your team? We want to know! Email CRC editor Karla Accorto at kaccorto@hcpro.com with their name, organization, email address, and a few sentences about what makes them such a great MSP and team member. Your nominated MSP could be featured in an upcoming issue of our Credentialing Resource Center Digest!

Performing primary source verifications, credentialing and privileging practitioners, participating in committee meetings, ensuring practitioner competency, and safeguarding patient care are just a few of the crucial day-to-day tasks performed by MSPs. Under normal circumstances, these processes are nuanced and require specific skill and expertise, and in a pandemic, these essential processes become complicated.

Obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) is the medical specialty that involves the treatment of clinical conditions that are specific to women. Obstetricians diagnose and manage all conditions occurring during pregnancy, from the time of conception through the postpartum period. Gynecologists provide routine physical care, diagnose diseases, and provide treatment, if needed, particular to the female reproductive system.