Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it makes me start thinking of things that I'm thankful for. I have so many things to be thankful for personally - my family, a job that...

Learn from our experts why it is so important to become a certified provider credentialing specialist. Kay Lynn Akers, CPCS dives into the 4 driving factors and the benefits it can...

Every health system should have a leader in provider relations just like Emilia Webster. VerityStream Consultant Renee Aird-Dengler interview with Emilia highlights the benefits of...

Discover how you can expedite the credentialing process and ensure your providers are ready to go in record time...

VerityStream Consultants recently took and passed the NAMSS CPCS examination and have achieved certification. Learn from their certification journey as we introduce 5 consultants...

Neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch left a disastrous trail of maimed patients in Texas and is now imprisoned for aggravated assault. Could these deaths and injuries have been...

Discover the top ten most frequently experienced privileging mistakes that plague various organizations today and the recommendations on how to avoid them....

An excellent approach to clinical privileging is one of the most critical components of your organization’s quality program. But privileging can be challenging at a busy ambulatory...

We are two-thirds the way through 2019 and still so much to do. Is it hard to stay focused and is it clear what projects matter most? Vicki Searcy explains in this post the power...

In healthcare credentialing, there’s confusion about what it means to be a “participating” provider, which is key to avoiding claim denials. Here are five strategies to help get to...

Building a solid credentialing staff can be challenging, especially when the right resources are not available to you. How can you cultivate your existing staff to become stellar...

A massive shift to hospital-employed providers, a significant growth in the number of non-physician providers, and a brewing war for talent are just a few trends hospital and...

Time is a funny thing. Sometimes a single day seems to last an eternity but a year can pass by in a flash. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 18 months since we merged Echo, a...

Legacy Health’s Amy Lyons and Amanda Walker share their journey of integrating their centralized credentialing services and provider enrollment. Learn more about their process...

These days, red sticky notes have been replaced by electronic communication about credentialing red flags. Having an electronic file to review allows physician leaders to evaluate...

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System shares their experience eliminating non-value-added verifications from their credentialing process, including: licensed...

Where does your organization stand within the credentialing industry? Are you on par with most organizations or are you leading the pack? Here are 5 reasons to download our report...

Understand the three steps to demonstrating return on investment for new credentialing and privileging initiatives plus how Verity can help you get there....

Privileging telehealth providers is a growing issue for many health systems, hospitals – and the individuals who perform the credentialing. This report identifies how organizations...

Focus on the benefits of paperless privileging and overcome barriers to fully implementing a paper-free privilege process at your organization....

Use these tips in three key areas to aid in making the successful transition to an electronic provider application....

Meet Barbara Ortolf and discover her unique view into the medical staff services/credentialing industry from many career pathways, but coming from an accounting background....

Healthcare organizations in the digital age are taking on more and more telehealth providers but the question is, how is the credentialing and privileging industry adapting to this...

Health care organizations are looking for information when tackling industry challenges. But where do you start? Here are four tips on finding informative resources....

Credentialing and enrollment leadership changes are going to occur at some point. Learn why it is important to start planning for transitions early....

Where do we draw the line with embracing the future and streamlining our credentialing processes while also balancing the need to maintain stringent rules to protect your patients...

Find out how data, delegated credentialing, collaboration and flexibility will aid you in enrolling to meet provider start dates for maximum reimbursement and minimal claims holds....

Change is one thing we can count on in life. Learn how taking action can bring positive change to your medical staff services team and organization....

There are only 24 hours in the day, and no time machine (yet?) to give you more time in the day. With all of the credentialing committee meetings, applications to follow up on,...

We all experience times when there’s more on our plate than we have hours for in the day. These five prioritization tips will help you spend those hours on what matters most....

The industry is making some progress on establishing benchmarks. If you’re looking to build a case for freshening up your credentialing, privileging, and enrollment processes, here...

We have the most comprehensive list of policy changes and updates that were announced or highlighted at the 2019 CMS Conference. Topics include PECOS 2.0 release, independent...

Is fatigue affecting your credentialing turnaround time? Are you looking for a way to improve your processes without adding more FTEs? Here are 3 ways your Medical Staff Office can...

"VerityStream, how can I automate my medical staff office?" VerityStream: Here are some tips I found on how to move from manual processes to automation....

Renee Zimmerman is a super star who works in credentialing and/or payer enrollment work space. This spotlight is intended to highlight her achievements during her career and her...

There are many reasons to standardize privileges across medical staffs—improved program management, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, alignment with contemporary...

Answer these five important questions before declaring your system as the organization’s source of truth for provider data....

Clutter can contribute to higher anxiety levels in individuals, whether at home or at the office. This is also the case for your Credentialing Committee meetings. Consider clearing...

Looking ahead at 2019, HealthStream’s Robin Rose turns our attention to the top trends that could significantly alter the healthcare industry as we know it. This is the second post...

Leslie Cox is the Senior Director, CVO at Banner Health and our spotlight on her reveals some great insights into running a successful CVO, including challenges and advice from...

HealthStream’s Robin Rose highlights the top trends that are driving transformation in healthcare....

Professional references can be time consuming and result in a lot of time wasted tracking down the peer and reminding them to complete that reference letter for the applicant....

Do you know what is in your privilege forms? Read more to learn why a schedule for reviewing privilege forms is necessary. ...

Data has become essential for organizations to meet their business goals and improve their processes. Is your organization still wondering how long it takes to process new provider...

A look at the evolution of CVOs from their start to today’s state with critical questions to answer for the future....

In 2018, we began a recurring series on individuals who are “super star” MSPs (Medical Services Professionals) or Enrollment Professionals. We all have a story about how we got...

Would you like to make it easier for your providers to have a clean slate in the new year and beyond? If you answered yes, continue reading to learn how to develop FPPE action...

Meet Megan, Client Executive with VerityStream and learn about why she loves working at VerityStream. ...

Meet Sean, Director of Data Services and learn why he loves working at VerityStream, A HealthStream Company. ...

How well we react to the changes in our worklife is an indicator of how effective we will be in our profession. Here are 13 smart things that every medical staff professional...

How to evaluate your verification and monitoring tactics to insure your medical group is providing the most comprehensive validation possible of your providers. Our experts point...

Six ideas for goals to benefit you and your organization. Which one is your first priority?...

No matter how robust your security setup is, chances are you're vulnerable to hacks, data breaches, and forces of nature. A loss of data is a huge financial risk that medical...

We have learned so much, and with this time to reflect, we are thankful for all of you who are a part of the VerityStream community....

Hot off the Press! CMS releases their annual audit results for online directories. Review the results for data collected from November 2017 to July 2018 and get informed to ensure...

Hospitals and health systems looking to keep reimbursements from payers on track should consider implementing these helpful tips into their provider enrollment processes....

Meet Marayna, Customer Support Team Lead, and learn why she loves working at VerityStream....

Understand tips and benefits of enabling providers to take a more ‘hands-on’ approach to their credentialing process. ...

A slow provider onboarding and enrollment process can set your practice up for serious financial strain. However, despite your best efforts the process has never been more...

When provider data reside in multiple databases and physical locations, health systems risk revenue loss, data inaccuracy, and provider frustration. At its heart, consolidation of...

Excessive paperwork, slow validation, and reimbursements in jeopardy are common occurrences in outdated verification and credentialing processes. Learn more about how pre-formatted...

Electronic meetings can be an incredibly efficient way to conduct healthcare/medical staff organization business. But the “devil” is in the details (as usual). There are many...

OIG oversight of HHS programs ensures integrity, effectiveness, and efficiency. This can also lead to recovery in billions of dollars in savings. However the time-consuming and...

Without industry standards on defining credentialing metrics, there is no way to benchmark your organization with others. Standardizing six metrics in your organization can help...

It is NAMSS Week! This is the time to reflect on the medical services profession, and our collective accomplishments as well as our individual accomplishments....

If you have ever requested staff, equipment or other resources and been turned down maybe a cost-benefit analysis could have made the difference. Learn what it is what and what...

This is the first article in a series on remote working and shares four benefits to offering this work arrangement to credentialing staff....

Learn why fostering engagement in your team is important and three tips on how to do it....

Short client stories describing enrollment challenges they faced that proved both costly in time and money....

Approximately 200 organizations are currently recognized in credentialing by NCQA either as a certified CVO or under NCQA’s CR standards. Preparing for any type of...

The benefits of delegated credentialing from a medical group practice’s perspective are many. First and foremost, with delegated credentialing you can eliminate weeks from the...

Just because you use PECOS and enroll your providers electronically doesn't mean you shouldn't be vigilant of some key mistakes you could be making that could have an impact on...

Recap of the 42nd NAMSS Conference by former NAMSS President and CVO Symposium speaker, Vicki Searcy. ...

CVOs across the country are collaborating in effort to identify standards and lead the industry....

Ready to tune up and speed up your payer credentialing process? Here are 10 questions to ask before you choose a solution....

46.9% of credentialing professionals use PECOS for CMS enrollment. Save your organization and yourself time and effort by following these helpful tips to make your PECOS enrollment...

Is your organization prepared to prevent a provider impersonator? Recent news reveals why policies should be reviewed and four ideas to consider....

The issue of aging providers has been dealt with by some healthcare organizations – and organizations who have done so will attest that it isn’t easy or quick to determine how to...

Using PECOS (the Provider Electronic Chain, and Ownership System), Medicare’s online enrollment system to enroll your providers create efficiencies for your organization and can...

Provider directories are commonly overlooked assets of a health organization that can have a significant impact on physician satisfaction. Learn how you can improve your...

Take a look at 5 of the 10 findings described in the 2018 Annual Report on Medical Staff Credentialing that compare results from our 2017 report and takes a look into the future of...

Bylaws shouldn't hold your organization back from efficient credentialing processes. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when looking at Bylaw requirements....

Professional conferences provide great opportunities to learn from your peers. Here are some common trends that we found to have perpetuated throughout our user group conferences...

Medical staff professionals wear many hats and handle a multitude of projects. Is your staff prepared to juggle multiple cases and perform efficiently? Learn why project management...

You can never be too prepared! Disaster can strike at any moment and it is important that your entire workforce is prepared for what will happen next....

To secure additional resources, a credentialing department must create a value proposition based on accurate data converted to information. That information should tell a story...

Mergers and acquisitions are hard on staff. However that should be no excuse to let dysfunctions seep into your teams. Building a cohesive team from the start will lend itself well...

How many of us have learned things the hard way? I know that I certainly have from time to time. Save yourself a lot of embarrassment by making sure that new technology is...

There are thirty-seven different versions of your neighboring city’s hospital in your Hospitals Table staring at you right now. Which one do you choose? And how can you remove this...

We are in the middle of a busy conference season for medical staff professionals. While many of you have made plans to attend at least one event, there is another group who has...

Rachel Deming Purcell, Director of Regional Credentialing, Quality and Operations Support at The Permanente Medical Group sees that today’s positions now require systems thinkers,...

We at VerityStream love helping our customers! We enjoy the conversation, getting to improve our product from our customer’s recommendations and helping to grow the use of systems....

In my opinion, a credentialing (or a mortgage) process is electronic only if it is paperless for both the applicant and the recipient of the data. Your process is NOT electronic if...

Credentialing used to be solely focused on just that, credentialing. With all the changes our industry is enduring, it has become essential for healthcare organizations to...

Industry best practice is to make information about providers' granted privileges readily available to patient care providers (i.e., nursing stations, OR scheduling, pharmacy,...

The Joint Commission announced the requirement for OPPE in 2007, in order to give organizations time to formulate their strategies for compliance by January 1, 2008 (the date on...

With quality in mind, The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched their Hospital Value-based Purchasing (HVBP) Program in order to set performance standards and...

In most hospitals, the medical staff organization is supported by one or more medical staff professionals (MSPs). These individuals may be called by different titles, but their key...

I started working in Medical Staff Services in January of 2009, just one month before the HITECH Act was signed into law. At the time, meaningful use of health care data and...

File and folder organization can hinder or help efficiency depending on how an organization sets up their naming conventions. Commonly an organization will assign files to a user:...

Ann Klinger began her career in medical staff services in 1998 at Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro, Oregon. Prior to entering the world of medical staff services, Ann worked...

A standard master provider ID across the system ensures that applications that share data will always update information as desired. As applications merge and change, industry...

Advances in applications, technology and industry, provide more usage of automation tools. Impediments to taking advantage of these features occur when the data stored in the...

In order for databases to run at optimal performance standards, the system must have adequate space available for software being employed. Having unnecessary files or bloated files...

Record types are commonly used by a system to categorize data within an area. When large quantities of record types occur; data entry, managing and reporting becomes very...

Having an accurate Master Provider Database is essential for any healthcare organization. Over time it is easy to see how duplicate provider information occurs....

Duplication within large master reference tables can translate very quickly into data duplication with data containing the same information but with subtle but impactful...

One of the changes that I see coming is centralization of the decision-making process in health systems. What does this mean? In some organizations, the support for the...

In the 2017 Annual Report on Medical Staff Credentialing, 90.5% of you indicated that data management is an initiative that is extremely or very important, and 72.9% of you have...

Carefully selected metrics for your organization’s onboarding provider dashboard can improve workflow efficiencies, give insight into data, and improve reimbursements....

At a time when organizations are merging their systems and procedures, provider database standardization is more important than ever to ensure data integrity and reimbursement. ...

Standardizing and automating your organization’s onboarding processes can save time and money by accelerating reimbursements and narrowing the timeframe it takes to onboard a...

Perhaps some apply, and some don’t, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. But we think it’s always valuable to be aware of and examine mindsets (conscious and subconscious)...

Sometimes it feels as if we are not in control of our time and that contributes to the stress that we experience on a daily basis. One of the things that I’ve found that helps:...

If write-in privileges are permitted, that is a direct “flag” to surveyors of regulatory/accreditation organizations of the potential that privileges were granted outside of the...

Over 70% of last year’s credentialing survey respondents indicated their credentialing solution is the single source of truth within their organization. One of the downstream...

There were many very informative sessions such as Evolution in Competence Assessment Programs to Meet Emerging Trends in Licensure and Credentialing, credentialing portability and...

The report was published on May 2, 2018 and is the result of a survey conducted of Medical Services Professionals and others responsible for credentialing during December 2017 and...

Congratulations to the NAMSS committees and individuals responsible for making the arrangements for this conference – I know that those who were able to attend greatly benefited...

Highlights of the conference include changes in how the MAC will communicate with providers, changes to the Program Integrity Manual, MACS not requesting certain documents, changes...

Today's MSPs have worked very hard to streamline processes, both in technology and human ways. According to our research, approximately 80% feel they have streamlined and reduced...

Organizations are bringing together their credentialing, payer enrollment and recruitment teams to ensure data elements are defined to meet each collaborating partner’s business...

If you are looking to implement an electronic credentials review process as a goal for the next quarter or year, there are components that can be taken early to lay the foundation...

Before taking the plunge and shredding the paper, here are a few things you should consider to prepare your organization for success...

Discover the strategies that will extend the benefits of your privileging program to the point of service to ensure that benefits from your privileging program are realized....

Succession management is the process of identifying those jobs considered to be at the core of the organization – too critical to be left vacant or filled by any but the best...

All of us who work in healthcare have seen and experienced the many changes that have occurred as a result of the shift of organizations to increasingly employ/contract with...

Are you procrastinating on reviewing your organizations delineation of privileges? Here are some questions to get you started and reasons why you should not put it off any longer....