Q: What do ASCs struggle with most in terms of physician reappointment processes and what can my ASC do to overcome those challenges?
Dr. Jack Egnatinsky: [ASCs frequently] fail to check the National Practitioner Data Bank, which they should check on for credentials of all practitioners. [ASCs] also frequently forget to check with various government agencies to see if there are federal sanctions. They also have to remember reappointment is applied to any allied health providers, such as physician’s assistants or nurses, that have granted privileges to work in their organization but are not employed by them.
Times of reappointment are up to the organization to decide. Most commonly, it’s two years because most hospitals go on two-year cycles of being credentialed. The other thing that they have to think about is that they should be doing ongoing reviews between credentialing cycles of licensures and certificates, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and ACLS, as these may expire annually or every other year between appointments. So [licensures and certificates] need to be monitored and confirmed as renewed and updated by the time of reappointment.
Most ASCs have some sort of computer program that they’re work with, and facilities can set up a tickler file that lets them know when someone’s credentials or licenses are about to expire in advance. You can set them up to let you know 30, 60 or 90 days in advance so information can get updated and nobody’s license or certificate lapses.
[ASCs can also perform] peer reviews as a part of the process. Other physician colleagues or outside physicians review the care provided by an individual is appropriate to diagnoses and clinical findings.
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