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Learn MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic has hit every part of the healthcare industry. Medical staff offices are no exception, from the struggle to credential providers from outside an organization to privileging for telehealth and making it possible for staff to be able to work remotely.
A pandemic era survey about healthcare credentialing
From December 2020 to January 2021, VerityStream surveyed medical staff office professionals as part of its fifth annual credentialing report, which incorporates a section on the impact of COVID-19 on credentialing offices and departments across the U.S.
Long-lasting pandemic-related change is likely for credentialing departments and medical staff offices. Organizations that had adopted electronic credentialing processing quickly transitioned to remote work. The need for credentialing to be totally electronic became critical; many VerityStream clients asked for assistance with implementing online applications, electronic decision-making processes, etc. to facilitate the work of credentialing and help their medical staff organizations avoid delays. A clear lesson from the pandemic is the value of efficient electronic credentialing.
Telehealth an important focus for credentialing and privileging
More than half (51.6%) of all respondents said their organization’s use of telehealth services increased significantly since the beginning of the pandemic. Approximately a quarter (27.8%) said their organization’s use increased somewhat and one-fifth (20.3%) said it stayed about the same. Only 0.3% said their use of telehealth services decreased.
Reflecting on the challenges of privileging telehealth providers, medical services professionals reported varying degrees of hardship. Six in ten (62.1%) said it was not at all challenging to privilege telehealth providers, one-third (34.3%) said it was challenging, and few (3.5%) reported this task was extremely challenging.
The challenges related to privileging telehealth providers identified by participants were related to complexity and changing regulations (44.4%), lack of knowledgeable staff (23.0%), lack of adequate staff (22.7%). Three in ten (30.9%) listed “other” challenges, some of which included: no issues or challenges, observing regulatory waivers and changes, inadequate telemedicine credentialing-by-proxy process, large volume of verifications, lack of time, office closures making verifications difficult to obtain, off-site practitioners providing telehealth care, and more.
The pandemic has forced many MSPs to revise how they handle privileging for telehealth providers. Since many providers have been overwhelmed treating COVID-19 patients onsite, additional providers have been required to maintain quality of care at facilities for the remainder of the patient population. MSPs have been forced to rethink the way telehealth providers are credentialed. 51% of respondents in our survey indicated that the use of telehealth services significantly increased during 2020. Some of the challenges with this included complexity and changing regulations as the pandemic unfolded, and lack of knowledgeable and adequate staff to handle the workload. Other challenges included office closures making verifications difficult to obtain, as well as an inadequate credentialing by proxy process. Of note, the same amount of the respondents indicated they use credentialing by proxy for telehealth providers as those who went through the full credentialing process. Because of the challenges and sheer volumes, it may force some facilities to re-evaluate how telehealth providers are credentialed.
These findings represent only a small portion of the survey results presented in VerityStream’s 2021 Annual Report on Medical Staff Credentialing. This year’s report, the fifth installment, is based on a survey of 1000+ medical services professionals and provides insight into the entire medical staff credentialing process. For an overview of the report, register for the upcoming webinar, which will zero in on key findings from the survey regarding process improvement, provider data management, internal resource constraints, and everything in between.
View the recorded webinar: 2021 Annual Report on Medical Staff Credentialing.
HealthStream’s learning management system and healthcare training solutions support medical training initiatives and allow for the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceBe confident in your staff’s ability to reduce risk by providing compliance training that changes behavior.
View All ProductsDevelop next-level people for next-level care by prioritizing quality and safety improvements.
View All ProductsEstablish a culture of belonging with education supporting DEI, wellness, engagement, and leadership development.
View All ProductsUtilize patient access solutions and advanced reimbursement solutions to manage clinical denials and improve your organization’s reimbursement strategy.
View All ReimbursementExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ProductsOur competency development solutions personalize learning for clinicians to bridge the gap between theory and practice for your nurse residents.
View All ProductsEnhance maternal & child nursing care with solutions focused on improving the quality of care for mothers, infants, and children.
View All ProductsAddress staffing orientation challenges to easily achieve and maintain certification with our emergency and acute care training solutions.
View All ProductsAs a premier provider of healthcare education, we are committed to promoting safer, more successful surgical and sedation outcomes for each and every patient.
View All ProductsOur solutions are designed to cater to the needs of patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations dealing with illnesses or chronic conditions.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare workforce management is essential. We provide advanced scheduling solutions for organizations to solve issues such as nurse retention
View All ProductsComprehensive, industry-leading provider onboarding and credentialing software that validate health outcomes and support provider assessment.
View All CredentialingOur affordable CVO credentialing services establish patient safety by enabling primary source verification for your healthcare organization.
View All ProductsIntegrate with Epic to validate and add new providers directly to your provider master file.
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