Under which accreditation are hospitalists employed by a facility and not listed in the directory considered not credentialed?

Under which accreditation are hospitalists employed by a facility and not listed in the directory considered not credentialed?

• A. URAC
• B. NCQA
• C. Ambulatory Care Facility (AAAHC)
• D. The Joint Commission

Answer: (A)

The important idea here is how accreditation standards tie credentialing status to a current, accurate provider directory. In URAC’s credentialing framework, evidence that a clinician is credentialed hinges on both having privileges and being listed in the organization’s official provider directory. If hospitalists are employed by the facility but are not included in that directory, there isn’t verifiable evidence of their credentialing status according to URAC’s standards, so they are considered not credentialed. The directory acts as the accountability record for who is credentialed and authorized to practice within the facility, and URAC places emphasis on keeping that record complete and up-to-date. Other accrediting bodies require credentialing as well, but the explicit link between being credentialed and being listed in the provider directory is a hallmark of URAC accreditation.

The important idea here is how accreditation standards tie credentialing status to a current, accurate provider directory. In URAC’s credentialing framework, evidence that a clinician is credentialed hinges on both having privileges and being listed in the organization’s official provider directory. If hospitalists are employed by the facility but are not included in that directory, there isn’t verifiable evidence of their credentialing status according to URAC’s standards, so they are considered not credentialed. The directory acts as the accountability record for who is credentialed and authorized to practice within the facility, and URAC places emphasis on keeping that record complete and up-to-date. Other accrediting bodies require credentialing as well, but the explicit link between being credentialed and being listed in the provider directory is a hallmark of URAC accreditation.