Until a short time ago I honestly didn't know what hospital credentialing was. I had never heard of it. But now that I have I'll admit that I'm glad that hospitals across the country are doing it! So let's take a look at what this whole credentialing thing is and how it helps patients.
What is Hospital Credentialing?
So what is hospital credentialing? Basically, it's a process that doctors have to go through in order to do certain procedures at a hospital. If they don't have the credentials with that hospital, they can't do the procedure.
Hospitals have learned over the years that a doctor can get their degree, but they still need to do more than that to prove that they are actually competent. Credentialing is a system that many hospitals use to prove this. The process itself varies from hospital to hospital, but it usually at least involves some sort of peer review.
Hospitals that use a credentialing system will usually use some sort of software or other system to keep track of who can do what in their hospital. And this is not something that a doctor has to do only once. They have to maintain the credentials over time.
How Credentialing Helps Everyone
There is always a risk when you go to a hospital that the doctor isn't really qualified to do the procedure. This is the cause of a lot of malpractice suits. So that is the first thing that hospital credentialing helps. It helps reduce the costs and injuries associated with malpractice.
This process is not only a protection to the patients, but also to hospitals as well. Each year hospitals have to pay a ton of money in lawsuits and investigations. But if they can reduce the number of procedures that shouldn't happen in the first place they can reduce those costs.
As I mentioned before, I wasn't really aware of this system until recently. My hope is that if any hospital has not adopted this type of system that they will start to. It only makes sense since it not only protects patients, but also doctors and hospitals.
What is Hospital Credentialing?
So what is hospital credentialing? Basically, it's a process that doctors have to go through in order to do certain procedures at a hospital. If they don't have the credentials with that hospital, they can't do the procedure.
Hospitals have learned over the years that a doctor can get their degree, but they still need to do more than that to prove that they are actually competent. Credentialing is a system that many hospitals use to prove this. The process itself varies from hospital to hospital, but it usually at least involves some sort of peer review.
Hospitals that use a credentialing system will usually use some sort of software or other system to keep track of who can do what in their hospital. And this is not something that a doctor has to do only once. They have to maintain the credentials over time.
How Credentialing Helps Everyone
There is always a risk when you go to a hospital that the doctor isn't really qualified to do the procedure. This is the cause of a lot of malpractice suits. So that is the first thing that hospital credentialing helps. It helps reduce the costs and injuries associated with malpractice.
This process is not only a protection to the patients, but also to hospitals as well. Each year hospitals have to pay a ton of money in lawsuits and investigations. But if they can reduce the number of procedures that shouldn't happen in the first place they can reduce those costs.
As I mentioned before, I wasn't really aware of this system until recently. My hope is that if any hospital has not adopted this type of system that they will start to. It only makes sense since it not only protects patients, but also doctors and hospitals.
About the Author:
Most hospitals use a software program to manage their hospital credentialing. To learn more about credentialing software head to Medkinetics.com. Their software is some of the best you'll find in the industry.
