The Consortium for Universal Healthcare Credentialing (C4UHC) Hosts Industry Changing Supplier Credentialing Summit

CHICAGO, Jan. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In Fall 2018 the Consortium for Universal Healthcare Credentialing (C4UHC) held an industry-changing Summit attended by 83 thought leaders from 55 organizations. Highlights of the Summit included an update on the development of American National Standards (ANSI) for Supplier Credentialing slated for publishing first quarter 2019. Members and Supporters also shared early results of a pilot program currently using the draft standards and a National Representative Registry accessible to all downstream entities hospitals and vendor credentialing organizations at no charge.

The Summit featured a panel discussion which addressed potential data privacy, legal, and FCRA concerns associated with the current credentialing processes. The debate brought to light critical information of which suppliers, providers, and third parties should be aware as they attempt to meet the current requirements.

The panel incited further discussion on how organizations can help mitigate risk and eliminate a significant amount of duplicative labor requirements or processes by aligning to the ANSI Standards and utilizing the proposed National Representative Registry. The American National Standards process promotes transparency, openness, and balance, and enabled 46 different entities, including suppliers, providers, VCO's and other third parties involved in the credentialing process to join together and develop credentialing standards to meet a variety of expectations and need. Certification is anticipated in early 2019.

Representatives from suppliers and providers that participated in a pilot program using the draft standards and a preliminary National Registry shared some of the early results. The participants noted initial gaps within the current processes and how standards and interoperability can address these gaps and significantly reduce the resources needed by suppliers, providers, and vendor credentialing organizations. The goal is to have validated data that demonstrates compliance with the ANSI Standards available to all parties at no charge.

The highest rated presentation was from the Joint Commission Resources who clarified that very few standards apply to supplier representatives in a healthcare setting (see FAQ's here: https://www.jointcommission.org/standards_information/jcfaqdetails.aspx?StandardsFAQId=1572). While healthcare providers can create policies in addition to these few standards, it can create additional challenges for both the supplier and the facility. All parties should consider what they actually require and the potential implications.

Standardized credentials, when adopted by the provider hospitals, and met by hospital suppliers (non-employees) provide validation of information which currently requires submission of sensitive and protected data from the supplier's employee. In adopting a National Registry and the newly created ANSI standards referenced above, medical providers will no longer have to house supplier information internally, request additional documentation to prove or validate that a credential has been met, or be liable for non-employee private, sensitive information. Ultimately, this impacts savings and mitigates risk for the supplier, the provider hospitals, and the patient.

More information on Healthcare Credentialing Standardization is available at http://www.C4UHC.org.

SOURCE The Consortium for Universal Healthcare Credentialing