Simplifying Provider Onboarding

Onboarding a new physician is a complex process for everyone involved. Practitioners will often become frustrated with obstacles of the application process delaying response time. Many medical facilities still require providers to apply separately for the same affiliations, while others continue to use outdated methods for receiving applications. These methods are costly to the organization’s time, selecting qualified providers, and patient satisfaction. Creating a comprehensive application plan will help streamline the process with efficiencies, workflows, and productivity – benefiting the entire team and providers.

Provider Application Plan

Developing a provider application plan of expectations during the application process will eliminate many upfront questions and frustrations. Being organized with the application process will create the foundational building blocks. Also, the organization will determine the culture of the medical facility and how the provider will be treated as a member. Preparing the provider with the necessary tools will create a quicker application remittance. Developing a pre-application checklist of documentation needed to complete the application. Example of documents:

• State license
• Board qualification/certification status
• Documentation of hospital privileges
• Insurance claims report
• Certificates
• Immunization records
• School diplomas
• Professional reference(s)
• Residency diploma
• Driver’s license
• Social Security card

* The onboarding plan may differ according to your practice, the practitioner you hire, and individual state laws.

Organizations begin the process of credentialing and privileging months before the new physician begins to practice. Online application processing will eliminate paperwork and delays on the onboarding process.

Streamlining through Technology

Technology and automation will have the most impact on your ability to function efficiently. Gone are the days when a health system can use multiple platforms for tracking credentialing and privileging. A single platform shared across the enterprise will streamline processes and allow your organization to become more sophisticated in maintaining and sharing data. By integrating a single platform accessible to new and existing physicians, you will enhance the application process.

Departments often collect and maintain the same provider information; this is redundant work that can be eliminated when the Medical Staff office works in collaboration with Quality and Managed Care/Enrollment. An example of collaboration between the Medical Staff office and Managed Care/Enrollment is during initial appointment and reappointment, at which time one MD-App application can be sent to a provider to paperlessly collect all of the information required by both departments. This optimizes the provider’s time and also offers maximum efficiency when onboarding or re-credentialing as it relates to medical staff appointments and enrollment with payors.

Provider onboarding is a long and costly process. Automating the onboarding tasks will save time with every new hire with not only the medical staff but also the physicians, thus improving patient satisfaction. The same tools are available for existing providers with reappointment processing. Medical facilities need a solution that allows physicians easy access to information and documentation. Tech tips to speed up the process:

• Submit online application
• Upload supporting documents
• Automatic verification of documents
• Online tracking capabilities with medical staff and applicant
• Automation of notifications and reminders
• Providing transparency creates trust and loyalty

Communication

Credentialing may take months to complete and require involvement from multiple departments. Having an inefficient or manual process will delay onboarding. Manually validating a provider certificate, education, criminal background, etc., is unproductive and will create errors. Many times, causing chaos and uncertainty within the organization and new physicians. By reducing the number of manual tasks, medical staff will have more opportunities with communication between internal departments and external agencies. Credentialing software can automatically scrub online verifications and provide a more accurate process.

Provider Satisfaction = Patient Satisfaction

A dissatisfied provider is more likely to leave your facility in the first year of practice. Having a large number of provider turnover within the organization creates patient uncertainty and angst. Creating a culture from the beginning of the application process with a comprehensive completion of onboarding will make a significant difference in retention. Taking the time to properly onboard and express expectations will create a comfortable environment for your new physicians. Establishing those relationships between the medical staff and providers encourages job satisfaction. When staffing and providers are happy, so are your patients.

Solution

MD-Staff features web-crawling and web-scraping technology that harvests critical data relative to provider licensing, credentialing, and verification. By leveraging the full suite of MD-Staff products, organizations benefit from electronic processes and automation for provider applications, privileges, verifications, and approvals. Just as the electronic medical record has transformed healthcare, a paperless credentialing and privileging process has tremendous benefits. Many organizations waste resources printing and scanning credentialing paperwork. The costs associated with this outdated process include file storage, printing fees, server space, and resource time. MD-Staff offers comprehensive information, in real-time, as the largest opportunity for transformation is based on the outcome of a paperless system with robust data instead of static files. Becoming truly paperless and automated will positively impact more than just credentialing personnel.

Traditionally the application process is the most time-consuming and paper-intensive process for the medical staff office. MD-App is designed to eliminate this manual process by allowing the providers to fill out the application online via computer, phone, or tablet. Additionally, documents that are part of the application packet, such as bylaws and privilege forms, are available to the providers to download and review both before and after completing their online application. Organizations are finding benefits from electronic processes and automation for provider applications, privileges, verifications, and approvals with MD-Staff and MD-App!