Whether it is due to a conflict of interest of a lack of staff with the proper expertise, most organizations will eventually need to use external peer review. It is recommended that all organizations have a policy regarding external peer review. Although instances of when to use external peer review should be treated on a case-by-case basis, having a policy will hopefully help to ensure a fair process.

From state to state, the effectiveness of protecting credentials documents from legal discovery varies widely. Most states have fairly strong protections, but a handful of states are exceptions to this rule. In most jurisdictions, credentialing forms, such as the following, are discoverable by attorneys.

Recent news of more than 7,500 fraudulent nursing degrees being issued should serve as a shocking reminder for healthcare organizations to check their verification processes.

Upon receipt of a completed application for membership and/or privileges, the medical staff services department (MSSD) will verify current licensure, education, relevant training, and current competence from the primary source whenever feasible, or from a credentials verification organization.

As the credentialing coordinator of a residency program, my role is split between the clinical practice and the administrative office of the residency program. Although my primary role is to ensure the providers in the practice are credentialed to see patients, I also provide administrative support to the residency program. This used to include non-credentialing-related tasks, but the residents of the program rotate at other facilities that require specific paperwork (e.g., copies of the residents’ permits and liability insurance). Now, I’m preparing applications for residents, not necessarily credentialing applications, but the task is similar.