How to create a delegated credentialing program?

This is part two of a two-part post that evaluates what is delegated credentialing and why healthcare provider organizations should consider it.

As explained in the first post of this two-part series, delegated credentialing is an opportunity for large provider organizations to take matters into their own hands, streamline processes and realize substantial benefits. These include getting providers credentialed quicker so they can generate revenue and expand clinical bandwidth.

So, how do organizations create a delegated credentialing services process? It entails establishing processes, as well as implementing tools to assist with workflow and manage the flow of data.

Key processes to implement include:

• Adopting Credentialing Standards — The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has already established standards for payers, as has the Joint Commission for providers. Standards from both organizations should be adopted, as well as any specific standards from regional payers.
• Establish a Review Process — Create a committee to define processes and review provider credentialing.
• Conduct Ongoing Monitor — Develop processes to continually monitor work quality.
• Re-Credentialing — Create processes to easily re-credential providers on an ongoing basis.
• Create Agreements with Payers — Delegated credentialing agreements need to be established, clearly stating structure and metrics, including:
  • Outlining the responsibilities of the payer and delegated entity.
  • Detailing metrics of how the payer can define and assess performance.
  • Developing ongoing oversight processes.

Accomplishing these processes requires sophisticated credentialing software that includes:

• Analytics and reporting
• Dashboard presentations and milestone tracking
• Demographic import features
• Document management
• Reminders and notifications
• Task management and assignment features

A key resource to assist with delegated credentialing programs is the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA). The organization has a number of useful resources that expound on the above in further detail.

Author Julia Solooki is a board member of the HBMA Education Committee.

Credentialing Dashboards Part 2 – Additional Capabilities to Evaluate

Last week we wrote a brief overview of credentialing dashboards and several people contacted us with questions about additional dashboard capabilities. To address some of those questions, we’re highlighting some other important dashboard capabilities in this week’s post. Below are several key capabilities to look for when evaluating the dashboard components of credentialing solutions.

Milestones — Dashboards also need to display progress toward, or the completion of, key milestones so users can view specific activities within the credentialing process. This enables users to quickly know what’s completed, needs to be done, is past due, and what are the new tasks that are entering the process.

Drill-Down Capabilities — An overview status of processes is valuable, but users typically need more information. Drill-down capabilities allow users to click on elements of the dashboard to display specifics, whether it’s information about individual providers, payers, or other elements of the process. This enables users to efficiently get the information they need within one or two clicks.

The Ability to View Tasks and Processes from Different Perspectives — Not all users of the dashboard are looking for the same type of information. Some may be interested in looking payer-specific details, while others are more focused on working on tasks related to individual providers. The dashboard needs to accommodate these perspectives in its display to improve staff efficiency and improved workflow. For example:

• Payer Information — Sections of the dashboard should display payer-related information, such as payer contact details, insurance PDF forms specific to the payer, web links, as well as counts of providers with insurance and their credentialing status.
• Provider Information — Other sections of the dashboard need to display provider-specific information, such as the number of providers being credentialed and the status of specific tasks within the process. Drill-down capabilities within the section of the dashboard should enable the viewing of details, including in-depth provider profiles that include all credentialing-related information, as well as the wealth of information imported from the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH).

Specialized Capabilities — It’s important for dashboards to be user friendly and include features that make it easier for the staff to complete their jobs. Leading credentialing solutions include advanced features such as the ability to easily attach documents to records within screens, and capabilities to upload information from other data sources (e.g., CAQH and others). These capabilities reduce data entry, and make documents easier to find.

With dashboards, everyone remains on the same page and is up-to-date with the status of tasks, which increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the credentialing process.

To Earn More, You Must Learn More!

Credentialing Dashboards Keep Staffs on Task, Better Communicate Status

Dashboards. To some, the concept is met with open minds and eagerness to view the data in a snapshot. To others, the term conjures up a notion of marketing spin. Can anything really be that great? The answer is yes. If done well, dashboards can not only brilliantly communicate key data to your staff, but keep everyone on task and efficient.

When looking at physician credentialing, communications are a vital part of the process, as everyone needs to know the status of tasks—what’s in progress and what remains to be completed. This information needs to be shared among various stakeholders, such as the credentialing staff, providers, practice administrators, and others. For credentialing, communicating this information is vital to practice operations, reducing risk, and ensuring that providers are eligible to receive reimbursement for their work.

Using a credentialing software solution with a dashboard display is an ideal way to share this information in a format that is easily digestible so information becomes actionable. Dashboards are a graphic representation displaying an up-to-date snapshot of tasks, whether they’re newly assigned, in progress, on hold, or past due. A credentialing system dashboard should be easily accessed, and provide an overview snapshot, milestones, drill-down capabilities, and the ability to view tasks and processes from different perspectives. Here’s a look at the first two of these.

Easily Accessed — When users open the credentialing system, the first thing they should see is the dashboard display. This quickly communicates the status of tasks, and alerts them to issues that need resolving. The easy accessibility of the dashboard eliminates the need for users to click through menus to view the information. It also decreases the chances that important information will get ignored, overlooked or simply not communicated.

Overview Snapshot — The dashboard should display a broad overview of the process that users can click on to get more detail, also known as “drill-down” capabilities, which are explained below. This overview enables the dashboard to display information of value to multiple user types, whether they are providers, practice administrators, or the credentialing staff. The dashboard should display:

• Status of providers being credentialed (e.g., new, in process, on hold, completed, or custom credentialing)
• Counts of providers with insurance
• Status of the credentialing process by task
• Credentialing task aging (e.g., 0-30 days, etc.)

Start by looking for these items in your dashboard, and watch your credentialing process go more smoothly.

 

*Photo is under Creative Commons License.

Outsourcing Provider Credentialing = Gaining Specialization

It makes so much sense that doctors do this all the time. So, why then, isn’t it best practice to provide specialization for the critical tasks in physician offices, such as provider credentialing? It seems as if such a necessary task so vital to protecting a practice doesn’t get the respect or staff resources that it deserves. Instead, credentialing work is simply absorbed by various members of the back-office staff. As a result, the accuracy of credentialing work is often compromised, exposing the organization to financial and patient safety risks.

But rest assured, credentialing specialization does exist, and can be obtained. The answer: Outsourcing. By outsourcing an organization’s credentialing function, physician offices can better focus their staff on revenue-generating tasks, such as billing and collections.

A primary benefit of outsourcing is that it allows provider organizations to access industry-leading expertise on the nuances of physician credentialing, enabling them to get the work done, quicker, better, faster. Experienced credentialing professionals have spent years learning about information resources to verify credentials, which helps them avoid potential pitfalls, and enhance their work through best practices.

Working in harmony: It’s important to note that outsourcing doesn’t necessarily mean that provider organizations have to completely relinquish their control over the function. Rely on the specialization, while keeping the tasks that are easier to manage within the office. This also keeps costs in check. For instance, many organizations choose to retain control over certain aspects, while outsourcing the labor-intensive processes of conducting background and reference checks, or the tedious processes of verifying schools, licensure, employment, malpractice carriers, and more. Experienced outsourcing professionals have the tools, resources and knowledge to perform these tasks faster and more accurately.

With the right outsourcing arrangement and leveraging specialized experts, organizations can remain better focused on their core competencies to improve performance and profitability.