News roundup November 23-27

As we approach 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 [email protected] 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!

Attribution of patient care for advanced practice professionals (APP) has the same implications as it does for physicians in regard to monitoring quality data and billing. Most APPs are allowed to bill independently for their services; therefore, they must be able to appropriately track the care that they provide to ensure accurate billing.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced historic updates to the the Stark Law, also known as the Physician Self-Referral Law. CMS acknowledged that federal regulations related to physician self-referrals have become outdated as the United States’ healthcare system has transitioned from a fee-for-service to a fee-for-value model.

Find out what’s happening in the world of federal healthcare regulations by reviewing some recent headlines from across the country

One of the most important roles of a hospital’s organized medical staff is to evaluate practitioners’ credentials and make recommendations to the board regarding membership on the medical staff and/or the assignment of clinical privileges. Historically, many medical staff bylaws included extensive sections laying out the procedures for medical staff credentialing. In recent years, as credentialing requirements have proliferated and the procedures have become more complex, it has become common for medical staffs to move this content from the bylaws into medical staff policies. Nevertheless, medical staff bylaws almost always retain some discussion of credentialing and peer review, even if it is to inform readers that the subjects are more fully elaborated in policies and procedures.