Sunday, June 28, 2009

Why More and More Hospitals are Using Credentialing

By Nate Henrie

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.

Hospital Credentialing - The Basics

Hospital credentialing is a process that doctors have to go through to prove that they are competent and qualified to do certain things in their profession. This just goes to show that it takes more than just a degree to be a doctor these days.

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

One of the biggest risks that a patient faces when going in for an operation or other procedure is malpractice. I'm not talking about simple human errors, but a doctor that does something above their qualifications and competency. By using a credentialing system a hospital can reduce the risk of malpractice to their patients by making sure that their doctors are qualified.

This not only helps the patients, but it reduced the money that hospitals have to spend in lawsuits and investigations. So no matter which way you look at it, credentialing is a good thing.

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.

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