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The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program Online Course

Improve quality of care for well and sick infants. Learn how it can transform your ability to accurately monitor and care for infants, improving their quality of life.

AACN ECCO Essentials of Critical Care Orientation

Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO), from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), is an interactive, case-based course designed to orient nurses on critical care basics.

COVID-19 Support Courses

These courses are designed to educate staff on current guidelines for infection control across various care settings and precautions for airborne pathogens.

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For Provider Credentialing During COVID-19, Keep Processes Effective, But Uncomplicated

April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021

Threading the needle between “just in time” credentialing and licensure in order to deploy desperately needed caregivers quickly and ensuring that compliance and other safeguards are being met can be difficult. According to Vicki Searcy, Vice President, Consulting Services, at VerityStream, it doesn’t have to be.

Don’t Make Credentialing More Complicated Than Necessary

“I worry that organizations will make credentialing more complicated than what they need to,” she says. “This is a national emergency, and what you have to do is keep your head focused on patient needs and suspend some of the things that you would normally do in a thorough credentialing and privileging process. Systems and facilities will, of course, do what they can to confirm the identity and as much about competency as there is time for. And their activities are going to be supervised. But the vast majority of physicians and other healthcare providers volunteering to work in this emergency situation are not going to be there for bad reasons. We’ve got to have a little trust here — we have to provide care to patients and keep them safe, and trust that the other things will follow.”

Credentialing Automation Can Ease Some Burdens

The peace of mind automated systems such as CredentialStream can and will provide, such as that core automation to check licensure and review for sanctions alongside other safety measures that are in place, allows providers to focus on patients. And new workflows created for the COVID-19 situation have created further automations that will create operational efficiencies long after the current situation has ended.

“Automation has always been important to our clients; that’s why they’re part of VerityStream,” she points out. “They may be experiencing it in a different way right now, but what we want to do is keep pushing the envelope and become even more automated. Our customers want to move in that direction as well, so I think we will only pick up speed.”

This blog post is the second in a series of excerpts from the VerityStream article, “An Upside Down World: Pandemic Creates Process Challenges and Opportunities for Licensure and Credentialing.” The article also covers:

  • Provider Support has a can-do spirit
  • Telehealth plays prominent role in new reality
  • Today’s adaptations and new procedures are likely tomorrow’s business as usual
  • Patient outcomes should drive “in the moment” decision-making

PLEASE NOTE: The information in the article excerpted here was considered current at the time of its publishing. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-evolving disaster due to new findings, data, and availability of resources. Please refer to the CDC website for the latest detailed information when you need it.

In the midst of continual healthcare change some things stay the same, like the need for comprehensive provider credentialing, privileging, and enrollment processes. In today’s value-based environment, operational efficiency is critical. Conducting manual verifications, completing paper forms by hand or taking time to deliver files to various locations across the hospital or the system is not cost-effective. Learn more about making VerityStream your comprehensive provider solutions partner.