Synergy - September/October 2013 - 10

industry feature

The Intersection of Credentialing and Peer
Review: How Much Information Is Enough?
By Ramona H. Thomas, Esquire

Quiz	on	page	14;	Worksheet	on	page	30

M

ost	jurisdictions	impose	a	legal	
duty	on	healthcare	facilities	to	
use	due	care	in	selecting	the	
physicians	appointed	to	the	medical	
staff.1	A	failure	to	exercise	such	due	care	in	
the	credentialing	process	can	result	in	the	
facility’s	liability	for	patient	injuries	arising	
from	the	exercise	of	privileges	by	
unqualified,	unskilled,	or	incompetent	
physicians.2	The	Joint	Commission’s	
standards	outline	criteria	that	must	be	
considered	as	a	part	of	the	credentialing	
process,	including,	among	other	factors,	
voluntary	and	involuntary	termination	of	
medical	staff	membership,	and	voluntary	or	
involuntary	limitation,	reduction,	or	loss	of	
clinical	privileges.3	To	evaluate	these	factors,	
a	facility	must	make	inquiries	regarding	a	
physician’s	affiliations	with	other	facilities.
10

/

SYNERGY September/OctO ber 2013

Occasionally,	information	a	facility	receives	in	
response	to	an	affiliation	verification	request	
may	include	information	about	peer	review	
proceedings	or	adverse	actions.	A	National	
Practitioner	Data	Bank	(NPDB)	query	will	
reveal	whether	another	facility	has	reported	
an	adverse	action	taken	against	a	physician	
applicant.	In	either	situation,	the	credentialing	
facility	has	two	important	questions	to	
answer:	(1)	what	information	should	we	
request	and	review	about	the	other	facility’s	
actions	regarding	this	physician;	and	(2)	
should	the	other	facility’s	action	have	any	
impact	on	our	credentialing	decision?	
This	article	identifies	judicial	decisions	
addressing	both	questions	and	discusses	
the	facility’s	options	for	proceeding	when	it	
learns	that	a	physician	applicant	has	been	

the	subject	of	peer	review	proceedings	or	an	
adverse	action	at	another	facility.

What Should Be Requested
and Reviewed
In	Johnson v. Misericordia Comm. Hosp., the	
Wisconsin	Supreme	Court	found	hospitals	
have	an	obligation	to	investigate	and	confirm	
the	credentials	of	practitioners	appointed	to	
their	respective	medical	staffs.	The	court	held	
that	a	hospital	had	not	exercised	ordinary	
care	when	it	failed	to	“make	a	reasonable	
effort	to	determine	whether	the	physician	
was	qualified	to	perform”	the	privileges	
he	requested.4	In	that	case,	a	patient	sued	
a	hospital	after	an	unsuccessful	surgical	
procedure,	alleging	the	hospital	negligently	
selected	the	physician	who	performed	the	



Synergy - September/October 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Synergy - September/October 2013

Synergy - September/October 2013
Contents
Editor’s Column
President’s Column
The Intersection of Credentialing and Peer Review: How Much Information Is Enough?
The Medical Staff’s Role in a Provider-Based Facility
Paperless Agenda Versus Less Paper
CMS Grants the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) Deeming Authority
National Organization Seeks to Imp rove Process with NAMSS PASS™
MS 01.01.01 – One Year Later: Did You Make It? Did You Survive?
NAMSS News
Happenings
Consultants Directory
Synergy - September/October 2013 - Synergy - September/October 2013
Synergy - September/October 2013 - Cover2
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 1
Synergy - September/October 2013 - Contents
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 3
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 4
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 5
Synergy - September/October 2013 - Editor’s Column
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 7
Synergy - September/October 2013 - President’s Column
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 9
Synergy - September/October 2013 - The Intersection of Credentialing and Peer Review: How Much Information Is Enough?
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 11
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 12
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 13
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 14
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 15
Synergy - September/October 2013 - The Medical Staff’s Role in a Provider-Based Facility
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 17
Synergy - September/October 2013 - Paperless Agenda Versus Less Paper
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 19
Synergy - September/October 2013 - CMS Grants the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) Deeming Authority
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 21
Synergy - September/October 2013 - National Organization Seeks to Imp rove Process with NAMSS PASS™
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 23
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 24
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 25
Synergy - September/October 2013 - MS 01.01.01 – One Year Later: Did You Make It? Did You Survive?
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 27
Synergy - September/October 2013 - NAMSS News
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 29
Synergy - September/October 2013 - 30
Synergy - September/October 2013 - Happenings
Synergy - September/October 2013 - Consultants Directory
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_2020q4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_2020q3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_2020q2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_2020q1
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20170506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20130708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20130506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20130304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20130102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NAMSS/synergy_20121011
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com