News roundup December 7-11

As we enter the holiday season, the CRC team is taking time to reflect on what we're grateful for and, more than ever, we're thankful for each other. Is there a member of your team that you're especially grateful for this year? We want to know! Email CRC editor Karla Accorto at kaccorto@hcpro.com with their name, organization, email address, and a few sentences about what makes them such a great MSP and team member. Your nominated MSP could be featured in an upcoming issue of our Credentialing Resource Center Digest! Additionally, to see our latest MSP shout-out, click here.

From state to state, the effectiveness of protecting credentials documents from legal discovery varies widely. Most states have fairly strong protections, but a handful of states are exceptions to this rule. In most jurisdictions, credentialing forms, such as the following.

Back in the spring when businesses across the country first fell victim to COVID-19, many employers chose to furlough workers temporarily rather than lay them off permanently. But now, with the pandemic dragging on, some furloughs are extending much longer than originally expected, triggering employer obligations under federal and state laws.

Brock Bordelon, MD, medical director at MDReview, answers the question "How do we convince physicians to take their turns serving on the peer review committee? Should we provide a monetary incentive? And if we cannot provide a monetary incentive, what other incentives could we offer?"

The American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted new policies recently, including prevention of bullying among healthcare professionals and recognition of racism as a public health threat. According to The Joint Commission, intimidating and disruptive behavior in healthcare settings is associated with medical errors, poor patient satisfaction, and preventable adverse outcomes. In June, the AMA Board of Trustees recognized the health consequences of violent police interactions and called racism an urgent threat to public health.

Oftentimes, with improvement comes change, and a few years ago, Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, made a big change. In an effort to connect related departments and play to the strengths of their employees, the medical center realigned its revenue cycle, credentialing, and enrollment departments by separating the enrollment team from the credentialing team and moving enrollment under revenue cycle management. Yesenia Servin, CPMSM, PESC, payer enrollment lead at Loyola University Medical Center, knew this undertaking would be difficult, but she was not afraid to lead the charge. Recently, she sat down with Medical Staff Briefing to explain how these departments are related and reflect on how she and her colleagues made this lofty goal a reality.

The revenue cycle is made up of numerous functions spread across several departments. The following is an introduction to the department’s essential responsibilities.

Don’t miss your chance to be heard! To help us ensure that we continue to deliver a solution that best meets the needs of our valued customers like you, we hope that you can spare 10 to 15 minutes to complete our 2020 Credentialing Resource Center Member Survey. Additionally, the first 100 respondents will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card!