Synergy - May/June 2014 - 23

namss pass™ guide

NAMSS PASS™: Do the Right Thing
and Make a Difference
By Constance E. Riedel, BS, CPMSM, CPCS, Chair, NAMSS PASS Task Force

A

s I've spoken to many people over
the last couple of years regarding
NAMSS PASS, the major issue we all
agree on is that NAMSS is doing the right
thing! Providing a primary source centralized
repository (database) collecting affiliation
history for all providers is long overdue.
Many people have shared their questions
about participating and contributing their
data. I want to thank all of you for your very
thoughtful questions and concerns, and I
believe we have addressed just about all of
them in the frequently asked questions (FAQs)
section on the NAMSS PASS webpage.
I have recently recommitted my life to
getting up each morning and asking myself,
"What can I do to make a difference
today?" NAMSS has devoted a portion of
SYNERGY this month to focus on NAMSS
PASS and how it can make a difference for
the Medical Staff Professional (MSP), the
provider, and especially for the patient.
As experienced MSPs and healthcare
attorneys know, credentialing is the gateway
to patient safety. Our utmost priority is to
protect the patient. In addition, we also
want to avoid costly negligent credentialing
claims for both the healthcare facility
and the provider. In doing so during the
credentialing process, the MSP must always
consider what they know and what they
should have known! It's called due diligence
or doing the right thing!
We've all been impacted by the economic
state of healthcare, and as an MSP, you have
the opportunity to proactively impact that
state in a positive manner. We have heard
concerns that by doing the "right thing,"
it could potentially be costly, delay the
onboarding process, and one could argue
as to the age old question: Do the benefits
outweigh the risks? With NAMSS PASS, we
have addressed those issues, and they are
no longer concerns. There is no cost to add
your data to NAMSS PASS. NAMSS PASS

is the first step in providing the solution to
performing our due diligence efficiently and
cost effectively, allowing MSPs to expedite
the credentialing process for the provider
by checking one database to verify any
gaps in time for a practitioner's affiliation
history. There are many stories supporting
why it could potentially be critical to
verify all affiliations and not assume the
provider has disclosed those during the
application process.
In this issue of SYNERGY, we will share the
answers to the Top 5 questions about the
NAMSS PASS initiative. We've also included
an article from a Past NAMSS President that
explains how NAMSS PASS promotes patient
safety, and you will hear from a prominent
physician at Suburban Hospital, a member
of Johns Hopkins Medicine, who will share
how his facility is using NAMSS PASS as a
significant tool in helping make the right
decisions in allowing providers to practice
at their hospital. You'll also learn how they
are using NAMSS PASS as a tool to assist
them with Focused Professional Performance

Evaluations (FPPE) and Ongoing Professional
Performance Evaluations (OPPE).
Other databases may claim to provide you
with the same information, but NAMSS
PASS is the only primary-sourced database
that has been established on a national level
to provide a comprehensive collection for
the affiliation history of all providers-and
there is NO COST to add the data.
As proud members of NAMSS, our mission
is to advance the delivery of healthcare.
We can provide that with NAMSS PASS by
raising the bar and establishing best practices
to ensure patient safety. The success of this
initiative begins with you! Make a difference
by contributing your staff rosters to NAMSS
PASS. It COSTS NOTHING to do the right
thing, and you will truly make a difference
for patient safety.
Constance E. Riedel, BS,
CPMSM, CPCS, is the Chair of the
NAMSS PASS Task Force and
NAMSS Past President.

MAY/JUNE SYNERGY

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Synergy - May/June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Synergy - May/June 2014
