Healthcare workers are in a precarious position on the frontlines of the struggle against COVID-19. In China, Italy, and Spain, thousands of healthcare workers have been infected with the coronavirus. Last week, more than 150 healthcare workers in four Boston hospitals were reported to have been infected. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the mental health needs of healthcare workers should not be overlooked, a disaster response expert says.

The individuals who review practitioner health issues will vary from organization to organization,and in the hospital setting it is dependent on the structure of the medical staff. Many healthcare organizations have established a working committee specifically dedicated to matters of physician health and well-being.

In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the CRC team has seen a rise in the need for credentialing and privileging resources, and we've particularly noticed the increased use of telemedicine services, both to screen patients for COVID-19 but also to allow patients to schedule appointments with practitioners without leaving their homes. The CRC team realizes that these are trying times, and we want to know how we can best support you through them. Share your top telemedicine and COVID-19 concerns with Associate Editor Karla Accorto at kaccorto@hcpro.com so we can work to provide the content you need. 

As COVID-19 spreads throughout the U.S., MSPs face unique challenges to support their practitioners and keep patients safe. In response, we’ve launched an Acute Care Coronavirus response page that provides resources and solutions for hospitals and health systems as they navigate COVID-19. You can also visit our forum dedicated to COVID-19 discussions to ask your questions and share best practices with your colleagues.

Although practitioners are experiencing burnout and mental health problems in the COVID-19 pandemic, MSPs are also likely to be struggling with wellness. Read this article from the January 2020 issue of Medical Staff Briefing to gain tips for managing stress and coping with mental health concerns.

As staffing and personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages continue to rise, it is likely that many members of the medical staff will soon experience increased burnout, anxiety, and other mental health problems. This webinar offers best practices on how to create a provider wellness program that supports members of the medical staff who are struggling with their mental health. While creating a provider wellness committee to address these concerns may not be practical at the moment, this webinar contains tips that can be applied outside of a committee. We encourage you to take this advice and apply it as you can during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has created a new must-pass element for credentialing for 2020 that requires organizations to have policies and procedures describing their credentialing system controls. The new must-pass element falls under its Health Plan standard, “CR 1, New Element C: Credentialing System Controls.”

NCQA requires that the health plan’s policies and procedures address how it stores, modifies and secures its credentialing information. In addition to the confidentiality requirements under its Health Plan standard, “CR 1, New Element C: Credentialing System Controls,” Policies and Procedures, all aspects of how data is accessed, changed, monitored and managed to ensure confidentiality and security must be documented.