According to a recent study, physicians exhibiting symptoms of depression are more likely to make medical errors. Researchers drew this conclusion after reviewing 11 studies involving more than 21,000 physicians. The results of these studies showed that physicians who screened positive for depression were highly likely to report committing medical errors.

Once an application is complete and verified, the medical staff has opportunities to speed up the credentialing and privileging process. A hospital can opt to use expedited credentialing for applications that do not raise concern. The medical staff should proactively identify the issues that raise concern and apply them fairly to all applicants.

The Credentialing Reosurce Center Symposium is coming to New Orleans on April 20-21, 2020! We’re introducing exciting new features to this year’s CRC Symposium. We just released the 2020 agenda, which features an expansive array of sessions, including some focused on provider wellness, APPs, and problem practitioners. We’ve also expanded our speaker lineup. Our returning speakers will be joined by some new faces to provide you with insights from celebrated experts and in-the-trenches MSPs and medical staff leaders. Click here to see the full agenda and get to know the CRC speakers.

 New sessions for 2020 include:

• The Many Faces of Problem Practitioners
• Peer Review 2020: A Practical Strategy for Navigating Murky Waters
• CVO vs. MSO Zones: Where Does One Stop and the Other Begin?
• Corrective Action and Negligent Peer Review
• Managing and Supporting Impaired and Burned Out Practitioners
• Developing a New Provider Orientation Program
• Telemedicine: How to Master Credentialing While Meeting Legal Requirements

Are medical staff departments required? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoP), The Joint Commission (TJC), the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, DNV GL Healthcare, and the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality are in complete agreement on this one: Medical staff departments are NOT required. Some states may require a specific structure, but most do not require that the medical staff organize by departments. This month we turn our attention to medical staff departments and committees. As with the MEC, we will look at some questions, some myths, and some facts.

In many ways, the reappointment process mimics the initial appointment process, particularly when it comes to credentialing. The difference, of course, is that you are credentialing current members of your medical staff, not new applicants. As a result, there are some facets of the initial credentialing and privileging processes you will not have to conduct at all and other aspects that will hold more significance.