Q: We are a Joint Commission-accredited hospital and wish to contract with a Joint Commission accredited Telereadiology company. What do we need to do about credentialing and privileging the Radiologists from that company?
A: As with any contract arrangement with a Joint Commission accredited organization providing services outside of the hospital, you can accept the contractees credentials and privileges in one of two ways:
- Specify in the contract that the contracted entity (in this case, the Teleradiology company) will ensure that all services provided by individuals who are licensed independent practitioners (in this case, the Radiologists) will be within the scope of his or her privileges granted by the contracted entity; OR
- Actually verify that all contracted individuals who are licensed independent practitioners who will be providing services have appropriate privileges, for example by obtaining a copy of the list of privileges from the contracted entity.
It is not necessary for Joint Commission accreditation purposes to maintain a complete credentials file for each provider or fully credential the provider using your hospital's process.