In the last few years, especially since the COVID outbreak, there has been more and more talk about the importance of telemedicine. This innovative approach to healthcare relies on the use of advanced technology to remotely assist patients.
Unfortunately, despite its enormous promise, there are good reasons why this methodology hasn’t taken off. Many users are worried about the potential security issues that might come with the use of technology. There’s also a major concern about whether the service quality will drop when doing exams at a distance.
Whatever the case, medical organizations are slowly starting to roll out this technology and introduce it into the traditional workflow. One of the potential challenges that come with telemedicine is how it would affect the standard credentialing process. In this article, we’ll analyze the problem and potential solutions to it.
What is telehealth credentialing?
Despite potential issues, there are also numerous benefits to telemedicine. First and foremost, this approach is much more efficient than the traditional exams, making it perfect for working people. With remote checkups, people can quickly get their prescriptions and tackle minor medical issues.
However, for telemedicine to be effective, it also needs a well-designed credentialing process. As with standard medical procedures, clinics and hospitals are responsible for verifying the competence and qualification of their staff. That way, they can ensure that the organization works within the legal frame but also provides the highest standard of healthcare.
Telemedicine credentialing is even trickier than the standard verification procedure. This is because online checkups are much trickier. For example, as doctors don’t have direct contact with patients, detecting certain ailments can be a tall task. Furthermore, to perform telemedical service, you also need to have a certain level of technical savvy.
Telehealth credentialing benefits
Like in traditional healthcare, verification takes center stage in telehealth. With a well-designed, meticulous procedure, providers can check the paperwork of their employees, ensuring the highest-quality service. Among others, the credentialing process provides the following benefits:
Increased trust
Credentialing is a procedure that all US medical providers are obliged to perform. According to the law, each organization is responsible for hiring their staff and ensuring they have the necessary licenses and expertise.
Nevertheless, the added layer of security won’t hurt you. Patients have much more confidence in clinics that can perform effective streamlining and share their staff’s accreditations. Ideally, some of this information should be easily accessible online so that the potential client can learn more about your employees and their expertise.
Improved safety
The reason why credentialing was introduced in the first place is to increase the safety of all patients. Given the sensitivity of the job, users need to be certain that they’re treated by professionals who know what they’re doing.
Besides checking prior work experience and education, a standard CVO process also tries to identify potential risks. The verification agencies need to ascertain if there’s any pending disciplinary action against a medical expert or if the person has their license revoked. Aside from protecting the patient, these safety measures ensure that the clinic’s reputation is intact.
Remote challenges
Telemedicine verification is specific due to the emphasis on remote checkups. As mentioned, doctors are fairly limited during the exams as they don’t have access to face-to-face tools and procedures. Instead, they need to rely on advanced technology, some of which are hard to use.
During telehealth credentialing, a CVO needs to ensure that the practitioner has enough technical skills to use this modern equipment. The main goal is to determine whether they can provide the same quality of service online as they could do face-to-face.
Compliance
Efficient credentialing is also vital for compliance. Despite being relatively new, telehealth already carries certain rules and regulations. Each state and the country, as a whole, has specific laws that prescribe how medical organizations should behave when offering this service.
Among others, clinics and hospitals need to get the necessary licenses to even consider offering this type of service. They should also revise the potential ethical and legal ramifications of improper service while also ensuring that patients’ data is fully protected.
Best telehealth credentialing practices
Ideally, a medical provider should take a holistic approach to their verification. To do so, they should implement the following practices:
Streamline applications
New hospitals aren’t even aware of the potential complications that come with the job application process. There are hundreds of applicants for certain positions, making it really hard to go through all that data.
Ideally, you should try to streamline the entire procedure and quickly corroborate the provided data. To do so, you can create customized solutions that would oversee the entire process and minimize the medical provider’s involvement.
Improve PSV
PSV, or Primary Source Verification, is a procedure that can take a lot of time and effort. Back in the day, companies would perform this task by directly contacting candidates’ previous employers and schools. Unfortunately, this was an inefficient procedure, especially for large hospitals with huge employee turnovers.
Nowadays, PSV can be done entirely with software. After inputting candidates’ data, algorithms can immediately corroborate the information against available public sources. That way, you can determine whether the candidate has any penalties or where they went to school.
Oversee the process
Even with the best technology, there’s always a chance for errors. This is why top-tier experts should handle the entire process. These professionals should not only have experience with credentialing but should properly use modern verification software.
Hiring CVO
Although you can perform the verification process in-house, it’s even better to hire a reputable CVO. Credentialing verification organizations are providers that use advanced technology to streamline this procedure. Unlike hospitals that usually don’t have specialized credentialing staff, CVOs only focus on this procedure.
The best thing about CVOs is that they can execute the entire process much faster. Through them, you can outsource one of the most convoluted, tedious tasks that most medical professionals hate doing. Not only will this lead to faster onboarding, but it will also make your existing staff much happier.
