Credentialing and Privileging
Privileging and credentialing are procedures used by health care systems to evaluate a professional’s qualifications. Through these processes, the organizations are able to provide high quality care and avoid malpractice incidences. An APRN can be granted authority to provide care and services in a certain health care facility through the process of privileging. A select committee of ones peers from the institution evaluates a person’s education, experience, training, etc. to determine the APRN’s capabilities. This procedure requires reevaluation and updating on a regular basis (Coalition For Nurses In Advanced Practice, 2006). The APRNs in this system will have basic privileges at the system’s hospital including rounding on patients and documenting progress and care; performing histories and physical examinations; ordering laboratory, radiology and other diagnostic tests and procedures; and writing orders for medication, medical devices and treatment of the patient.
An APRN’s licensure and authority to practice in a certain state are confirmed through the process of credentialing. The system validates relevant certifications, education, and training while verifying professional references and looking for any past disciplinary actions, criminal history, or entries in the national practitioner databanks. It is mandatory for hospitals to search the United States National Practitioner Data Base and search again every two years for every practitioner at their facility . Providers must be credentialed in order to bill for reimbursement (Coalition For Nurses In Advanced Practice, 2006).
Quality and Safety Issues
Professional societies have developed standards for the process of care, some state …
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… and circumstances and strongly influence patient outcomes. Most respondents in the studies the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2013) reported on viewed nurses as the most trusted source of health information.
The Joint Commission (2010) expands this excellence in care to APRNs stating that they have demonstrated how wide and deep their knowledge, scholarship, and leadership in health care delivery really is. Their collaborative ability aids them in obtaining superior patient outcomes while promoting health and determining appropriate care plans. Another advantage for APRNs is the quality care training they have received regarding cultural competence, being able to understand and manage the cultural and social differences among patients. This approach has a definite positive effect on perspectives, values, and behaviors of patients (The Joint Commission, 2010).