QUESTION: Our providers have privileges at two separate hospitals. Every couple of years, they make us jump through a variety of hoops to keep our providers’ hospital privileges active. This year, one of the hospitals is asking us to send provider references. Who should we ask? Anonymous, Alpharetta, GA

ANSWER: Hospitals typically ask for three references when credentialing providers. But not just any references will do for the hospital privileging process – there are guidelines around what those references should be. The references should include the following people:

1. Cooperation: Someone who has personal knowledge of the provider’s current clinical skills, who has observed them in action, and can speak to the provider’s ability to work cooperatively with others. .
2. Peer input: A professional peer reference from someone in the same specialty that has worked with your provider. .
3. Management: Someone who has been recently responsible for the provider’s practice at a healthcare organization (for example the department chair or chief of staff). If this is the first time you are requesting privileges at the hospital, consider a prior mentor or manager.

Make sure that all provider credentialing references are specific in nature. If they are too vague, the hospital may consider the application incomplete. For more tactics on speeding up the hospital privileging process click here >>

Expert: Tracey Tokheim

Aperture Credentialing, LLC

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