Synergy - September/October 2012 - 32

consultants directory

C MOBLEY & ASSOCIATES, LLC
professional resources for healthcare
Let us help resolve your challenges and issues. We have a demonstrated expertise in hospitals, CVOs, MCOs, and healthcare systems.

Christine “Cris” Mobley, CPMSM, CPCS, President

We help through on-site visits, via phone consultation and over the Internet: • accreditation compliance • OPPE/FPPE organization and management • application process management • productivity assessment/ staffing analysis • bylaws, P&Ps, forms review/revision • technology assessment/ paperless concepts • criteria-based privileging development/revision • and more! • CVO setup/evaluation of current services

25 years + EXPERIENCE COUNTS 25 years +
Phone - (719) 597-2871 | Web - www.cmobley.com e-mail - mobleycs@aol.com

Veterans Affairs MSPs Are a Lot Like You
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generally accepted standards of clinical practice that it raises reasonable concern for the safety of patients. This includes licensed healthcare professionals who were fired or resigned following the completion of a disciplinary action relating to clinical competence; those who resigned after a restriction or revocation of clinical privileges; or those who resigned after serious concerns about clinical competence were raised but not resolved. So not only does VA report to the NPDB when indicated, but this separate process exists for reporting to the SLBs in addition to the NPDB or in those instances where the criteria in the policy are met and reporting to the NPDB would not occur. The threshold for reporting is that there is substantial evidence of wrongdoing that means that the degree of relevant evidence permits a reasonable person to conclude that there is a solid basis for believing that the professional is engaged in a substandard act that created a reasonable concern for patient safety. With this as the standard, VA recognizes a responsibility to protect the privacy rights of these licensed professionals
32 / SYNERGY September/O ctO ber 2012

in the reporting process; however, the guiding principle is that patient safety is the paramount consideration. So, in these circumstances, VA reports to SLBs when following the defined process for reporting that is consistent with releasing information to the SLB in accordance with the Privacy Act. The licensed healthcare provider is notified of VA’s intent to report, providing the provider with the allegations to which the licensed healthcare provider may respond. The response from the licensed healthcare provider is considered by the VA staff and the allegations are either mitigated, in which case they would be eliminated from the evidence file, or the VA staff believes they are not mitigated, in which case reporting will proceed after a review to confirm that all aspects of the release of information under the Privacy Act have been met. VA is informing the SLB of its concern. It is up to the SLB to initiate its own review/investigation for which VA will fully cooperate. VA is an organization characterized by exceptional accountability and transparency. Readers are invited to visit www.va.gov

and learn more about the Department of Veterans Affairs. From the VHA homepage, www.va.gov/health, readers can access all of VHA’s policies through the Forms & Publications link. Specifically, the medical services professional can find VHA handbooks specific to credentialing and privileging, reporting to the National Practitioner Data Bank, and reporting and responding to state licensing boards. ■

Kathryn W. Enchelmayer, MS, MHSA, CPMSM, CPCS, is the director of credentialing and privileging for the Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, she serves as the program manager of VetPro, VA’s electronic credentialing system. Enchelmayer joined VA in 1977 as an audiologist/speech-language pathologist at the Miami VA Medical Center and then moved to VA Central Office, Washington D.C., to join the Office of the Medical Inspector in 1989 before assuming her current position in 2000.

http://www.buchanan-consulting.net http://www.buchanan-consulting.net http://www.cmobley.com http://www.va.gov/health http://www.va.gov

Synergy - September/October 2012

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