Health Check:
Physician Credentialing
Physician credentialing is one of the most important processes any medical institution performs, and peer referencing is a huge part of that.
There are many ways to manage peer referencing, but results vary – in terms of efficiency, quality of feedback and the overall experience for everyone involved.
How healthy is your peer referencing process?
Overall Condition: Flatlining
Preparation time
20 minutes per reference request.
Reliability of receipt
You can't tell if the request was received or will be returned. It might be lost or forgotten on a desk.
Questionnaire time
30-60 minutes per questionnaire.
Peer reference experience
Peer references must complete questionnaires by hand and take the time to send their response back in the mail.
First-time completion rate
Forms are often returned incomplete or unsigned – or with indecipherable handwriting.
Follow-up automation
Multiple requests must be sent manually with additional follow-up via phone often required.
Readability
All responses are handwritten. So credentialers need to either decipher the text or follow up to clarify.
Feedback quality
Tick-box questionnaires give basic information without insights into applicants' capabilities or professionalism.
Total turnaround time
Up to 3 months
Overall Condition: Critical
Fax
Preparation time
20 minutes per reference request.
Reliability of receipt
Fax machines can confirm receipt, but it's hard to know if responses will reach the right people at the right time.
Questionnaire time
30-60 minutes per questionnaire.
Peer reference experience
Peer references need to receive the fax, print it, sign it and then send it back.
First-time completion rate
Forms tend to come back incomplete or unsigned. So additional follow-up is necessary.
Follow-up automation
Multiple requests must be sent manually with additional follow-up via phone often required.
Readability
Responses are handwritten and most likely returned via fax, making them even harder to read.
Feedback quality
Even if you can decipher the handwriting, you can't be sure you'll get insights into the applicants' capabilities.
Total turnaround time
Up to 3 months
Overall Condition: Serious
Email with PDF attachments
Preparation time
15 minutes per reference request (plus additional time if an e-signature license is used).
Reliability of receipt
There’s no easy way to determine if a response was received or will be returned.
Questionnaire time
30-60 minutes per questionnaire.
Peer reference experience
In most cases, peer references must download a form, print to complete or sign, and scan or fax to return.
First-time completion rate
No required fields built in to prevent incomplete responses.
Follow-up automation
Multiple requests must be sent manually with additional follow-up via phone often required.
Readability
Though typed responses are common, handwritten responses are likely.
Feedback quality
Typed responses are more detailed. But without required fields, you don't always get the right insights.
Total turnaround time
6-8 weeks or more
Overall Condition: Strong
Cloud-based, automated peer referencing
Preparation time
2 minutes per reference request.
Reliability of receipt
Questionnaire links are emailed and tracked, so you know if and when they've been received (and if they've bounced).
Questionnaire time
Average 6 minutes per questionnaire.
Peer reference experience
Questionnaires are simple and can be completed on any device with internet (mobile or desktop).
First-time completion rate
Required fields ensure all forms are returned complete.
Follow-up automation
You can automate reminders to references. And required fields get you complete, signed and legible responses.
Readability
Forms are completed online so all responses are typed and clear.
Feedback quality
Required fields ensure peers send you full answers. And IP address tracking shows you who's responding.
Total turnaround time
3 days or less
Smart peer referencing is a fundamental part of any healthy credentialing process.
But as our health check shows, different methods give very different results. The more you take advantage of digitization and automation, the greater your chances of getting peer referencing right - the first time - and the better the outlook for everyone involved: applicants, reference providers, and credentialing professionals.
Find out how cloud-based, automated peer referencing could improve your credentialing health.
And in the meantime, check out how much time you could save with the right solution — try our credentialing time-savings calculator here.