Onboarding new medical professionals is a tedious business. Besides making sure that you’ve got the right person for the job, you also have to think about regulatory policies. Having a slow onboarding process is especially troublesome for understaffed clinics, affecting your ability to receive new patients.
To circumvent these common issues, many medical organizations have started hiring external providers referred to as CVOs (credentials verification organizations). Besides having enormous expertise and experience, these companies also know how to streamline the verification procedure. By relying on advanced software, they can finish the process in a fraction of the time it would take you otherwise.
However, delegated credentialing might not be as straightforward as you might think. Like with any other form of outsourcing, there are lots of pros and cons to this approach. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the opportunities and challenges you might encounter when partnering with external entities.
Delegated credentialing benefits
As you can presume, delegated credentialing is ideal for newer practitioners who have little experience with legal frameworks. Besides that, it also works very well for large hospitals and other companies that can’t allocate resources to create an in-house team. Here are the main reasons why you should hire a CVO!
- Faster onboarding
Even if you have an internal credentialing team, there’s a good chance that a CVO partner will provide faster results. These experts have a well-established workflow, which they’ve used for numerous medical clients and across different specializations.
This is especially important for newer clinics that have just started doing credentialing. Given the complexity of the process, it’s vital that you find the most efficient way to streamline day-to-day operations. Alas, creating such a procedure will take time, and you’ll have to settle for slower onboarding.
- Fewer errors
Another major issue with credentialing is the errors. Companies have to tap into several sources when checking the practitioners’ documents, often leading their internal teams to false conclusions. The issue becomes even more convoluted for veterans who have a long education and work history.
If you multiply that across several departments and numerous professionals, it becomes obvious why credentialing is such a nuisance. Luckily, by using modern software, CVOs can circumvent all these issues. They can track practitioners’ status over time, not making any errors when transferring data from one source to another.
- Less micromanagement
The way credentialing is done usually depends on the size of a company. Smaller practitioners with just a few employees find it cheaper to onboard new colleagues themselves, no matter how much time it takes. On the other hand, larger hospitals usually have teams that tackle these procedures.
Whatever the case might be, credentialing does require a certain level of oversight, which is why medical businesses often delegate the activity to CVOs. While you might argue that you must also manage external providers, the level of involvement is much lower.
- Better compliance
The strict credentialing procedure is, first and foremost, necessary for patients’ protection. In countries such as the US, there’s a highly regulated onboarding that covers just about any aspect of the process. On top of that, the legal frame often changes, forcing hospitals and clinics to stay on top of things.
Because of that, it’s usually hard to stay in the government’s good graces. Healthcare businesses need to hire a proactive legal team that will regularly check for any legislative changes, which is another burden you don’t need. Luckily, CVOs are well-acquainted with the legal framework, helping you stay compliant over time.
- Higher patient satisfaction
Given that CVOs can help you onboard new talent much faster, that means you won’t have to worry about a lack of staff. In that sense, faster credentialing is vital for any clinic that has just one specialist per department, as staff turnover can cause massive gaps.
Besides that, CVOs can also help you detect potential sanctions against certain professionals. While this isn’t always important, there are situations where it can be a lifesaver. Generally speaking, CVOs are much more meticulous during onboarding, ensuring that you have the top talent at your disposal.
Delegated credentialing risks
While hiring a CVO might sound like a godsend, there are still cases where partnering with these experts will expose you to certain risks. For the most part, the potential issues are mainly connected to outsourcing as a concept. There are also situations where hiring a CVO might actually be too expensive for your brand.
Anyway, here are a few things you should pay attention to.
- Lack of professionalism
Of course, the biggest issue with any type of outsourcing is that you never know who’s on the other side. The loss of control, in particular, can take a heavy toll on certain entrepreneurs who like to do everything themselves. Even worse, you might give the reins to a person who has no ethical values.
Luckily, these potential traps can easily be circumvented with just a little bit of research. Nowadays, you can find lots of valuable information about each provider online, so you don’t have to worry too much. Even if you hire someone who comes without a recommendation, it doesn’t instantly mean they will provide poor service.
- Additional expenses
Truth be told, there are cases where hiring a CVO might be too expensive. Practitioners who have lots of experience with this procedure can do it themselves, especially if they’re running a small practice.
Keep in mind that you can still do credentialing without the use of software, which would further reduce your costs. For example, you can contact each practitioner’s past employer to check if they were truly working for them in the past. Although the analog approach makes you susceptible to errors, it beats everything else in terms of expenses.
- Communication issues
One of the biggest outsourcing issues has to be poor communication. Some CVOs can be quite unresponsive, keeping you in the dark at crucial times. As if that wasn’t enough, you might also have trouble with language barriers when working with foreign companies.