UNC Health is a not-for-profit, academic health care system that's CVO credentials over 8,000 providers. As UNC Health continued to expand, they decided it was time to upgrade their credentialing solution from EchoCredentialing to CredentialStream to better fit their needs as a rapidly growing organization. UNC Health chose CredentialStream for it's standardized privileging, library of continuously updated privilege forms, and the automation features.
UNC Health is a not-for-profit, academic health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. The system comprises UNC Hospitals and its provider network, the clinical programs of the UNC School of Medicine, 24 hospitals and with numerous clinics and ambulatory centers statewide. Its CVO credentials over 8,000 providers.
The organization is focused on changing lives for the better by improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians. Exploding growth and an influx of new providers were the catalysts for UNC Health’s decision to seek an updated privileging solution that fully maximized technology.
Staffing:
More than 500 credentialed providers per FTE means the team must maximize use of
technology.
Growth:
As new hospitals joined UNC Health, the number of crossover providers expanded.
These providers grew increasingly frustrated with the need to complete multiple forms
and the variation in privileging criteria.
Buy-In
UNC Health identified a desire to standardize privileging in 2014 with a system-wide tool, but the immediate need to onboard new hospitals and providers took
precedence. UNC Health moved privileging online, but did not obtain full leadership
buy-in and funding to standardize privileging across the system until 2022.
UNC Health has long been committed to process excellence, maximizing technology and
operating in an electronic and paperless environment. In 2014, they established a CVO
for their entire health system and set their sights on standardizing privileges system-wide. Achieving that goal has been a gradual process that began with moving all current
privilege forms online and making them accessible via a centralized portal supported by
EchoCredentialing, a HealthStream legacy product.
With that move complete, the team was able to access the variation in forms and the way
in which privilege criteria differed from one hospital to another. They knew they needed
to standardize privileges across the system to support the growing number of crossover
providers who were frustrated by requests to complete multiple forms and the variation in
criteria from hospital to hospital.
HealthStream and their solutions had served UNC Health well over the years. And, the
opportunity to take advantage of the Privilege Preview offer which allowed UNC Health
to sign a no-cost agreement for access to CredentialStream so they could immediately
get to work on standardizing privileging – felt like a great fit. With a library of continuously
updated, best-practice, evidence-based, specialty-specific privilege forms, UNC Health felt
confident that Privilege Preview and ultimately the CredentialStream solution would save
they time by eliminating the need to research and create forms from scratch. In addition,
UNC Health knew CredentialStream would enable more automation and enterprise-wide
process alignment. The incorporation of all the provider data and Health Alliance data will
become the single source of truth across the organization.
Developing standardized forms tend to be the most challenging part of a privileging
project, and the CVO team at UNC Health is well on their way to accomplishing this task.
To date, they have:
Built a Solid Foundation
With VerityStream’s guidance, UNC Health has established a project structure and a strong
foundation for success. UNC Health’s CMO Subgroup is comprised of CMO’s who are well
equipped to examine forms and provide feedback.
Created a Forms Checklist
UNC Health is taking advantage of HealthStream's Privileging Grid, a checklist that guides
them through form selection and set up. Via the Grid, they can view CrendentialStream’s
extensive library of 1000+ forms, select, and modify the forms that meet their needs.
Launched a Forms Pilot
Despite pandemic-related challenges, the CVO team has been working with two of the
system’s larger hospitals to draft forms. These forms have been heavily influenced by
CredentialStream’s Privileging Forms Library, which features forms curated according
to industry and accreditation standards. The team has focused on developing the most
straightforward forms first, such as Rheumatology. Forms that are more complex will be
reviewed next, such as Cardiology.
As initial forms are drafted, UNC Health’s CVO will be “cross-walking” the forms across the system for approval. The goal is to approve and implement as many multi-facility forms as possible, which will simplify life for crossover providers. Once forms are approved, they will be configured in CredentialStream and providers’ current privileges will be updated. UNC Health plans to be fully utilizing CredentialStream for privileging in 2023.
“Keeping the end in mind is critical with a project like
this. We’ve had the goal of improving our privilege
forms, standardizing our process, and maximizing our
use of technology as a focus throughout our journey.
Having this vision has helped keep us on track,
despite having to navigate growth and unexpected
issues like the pandemic along the way.”
Linda Waldorf, BS, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP, System Director,
UNC Health Centralized Credentialing Office
Expand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentComprehensive, industry-leading provider onboarding and credentialing software that validates health outcomes and supports provider assessment.
View All CredentialingHealthStream’s learning management system and healthcare training solutions support medical training initiatives and allow for the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceWhen 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 & ComplianceMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingUtilize patient access solutions and advanced reimbursement solutions to manage clinical denials and improve your organization’s reimbursement strategy.
View All ReimbursementLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All Resuscitation