Profession
Mass. groups work to simplify credentialing
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 22, 2004
In an effort to reduce the amount of time and paperwork physicians face in joining health plan networks and hospital staffs, several medical organizations have endorsed principles to simplify the credentialing process for all physicians in Massachusetts.
On April 1, physicians and participating hospitals and health plans will begin using a uniform application for initial credentialing and an abbreviated uniform version for re-credentialing. The two applications will serve as the sole forms for credentialing activities, although participating health plans will retain their own standards for evaluating the information. The uniform application will enable physicians and their office staffs to use the same information and application for all participating health plans, reducing the amount of time they spend on credentialing, organizers said.
The effort has been endorsed by the Massachusetts Medical Society, BlueCross and BlueShield of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Hospital Assn. and the Massachusetts Assn. of Health Plans.
"Patients deserve our best efforts to reduce unnecessary administrative barriers," MHA President Ron Hollander said in a statement. "Every step we take to reduce paperwork and bureaucratic duplication helps hospitals and physicians dedicate more resources, time and attention to their primary mission, healing patients."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/03/22/prbf0322.htm.
