2021 Annual Conference Recording: How Credentialing Staff Can Better Prepare for Emergency Situations

Title: How Credentialing Staff Can Better Prepare for Emergency Situations 

Speaker: David Welsh, MD, MBA, General Surgeon, Margaret Mary Health and Decatur County Memorial Hospital, Immediate Past Chair, AMA Organized Medical Staff Section Governing Council 

Description: The onset of COVID-19 introduced significant credentialing challenges that health care organizations had not faced in prior emergency/disaster situations. In addition to hitting a large portion of the United States—physicians included—all at once, the pandemic has also lasted much longer than previous emergencies and disasters. Both factors have made it difficult to expedite recruiting and credentialing of volunteer physicians using traditional emergency plans, and the challenges have been even steeper for health care organizations without an emergency plan. Ultimately, this pandemic has exposed a critical need for change in emergency credentialing practices. In this session, the immediate past chair of the AMA Organized Medical Staff Section Governing Council will present lessons learned and updates on the AMA’s efforts to streamline the general credentialing application process and address emergency situations like a pandemic that are long-lasting and have unique health care consequences to both the public and health care providers. 

CE Credits: This conference recording is eligible for 0.75 CE