Notice ID: IHS-23-SS-1479988
Description
Currently, the Indian Health Service, does not have an ongoing, formal IHS Medical Staff Professional (MSP) training available to IHS MSP. The current solution is an IHS HQ Credentialing Program Manager to fields emails and calls for consultation, technical assistance and training on standard credentialing and privileging processes for approximately 75 new and veteran IHS MSP at 10 Area Offices and 105 federal facilities. The Office of Quality (OQ) Division of Quality Assurance and Patient Safety is committed to the IHS 2023 Agency Work Plan Patient Safety Priority of enhancing standardization of the credentialing system, which includes agency-wide credentialing and privileging training of its MSP. The IHS needs to establish a training platform or subscription for new and veteran IHS MSPs in foundational industry and IHS agency credentialing and privileging processes; however, developing and funding a formal training program will take significant planning, funding and time. During this time, the HCPro Credentialing Resource Center subscription has partially filled this need by offering current industry related topics from industry experts on a variety of medical staffing topics, while the Agency policy and procedure manual is developed and software standardization continues.
IHS MSPs are staff that are tasked at IHS facilities with preparing the medical staff credentialing and privileging files of licensed practitioners (LP) for approval by the Governing Body. This includes knowledge and skills of how to verify, assess, and document primary source verifications of required education, training, work history, insurance, health status, including specific LP credentials by specialties. In addition, MSPs must also understand and apply knowledge from medical staff bylaws, accreditation standards, and federal laws as they prepare the credentialing and privileging file for review, recommendation and approval. These important tasks are why MSPs are known as Gatekeepers of Patient Safety.
