Delivering Peace of Mind for EMT Credentialing
They’re a critical player in the healthcare industry and a much needed part of city management, hospital services and the general health of citizens. We’re talking about ambulances, an often overseen aspect of the larger healthcare ecosystem. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the tireless work of front line healthcare workers, and one could say that hospitals and health systems could not run efficiently without the EMTs and assistants that transport patients to a hospital on a daily basis.
They could be owned by a corporate entity, a municipality (imagine the vehicles you may see with “Los Angeles County” written on the side, for example) or by a larger healthcare organization (perhaps a children’s hospital that serves various physical locations). However, unlike standard credentialing for medical doctors, ambulances are not tied to physicians, but rather medical directors.
While the process of gaining or maintaining ambulance credentials falls on the medical director, it’s safe to say that there are other needs they must account for. Along with keeping credentials up to date, this person must also ensure that all EMTs, paramedics and flight nurses have current licenses and have not lapsed on the required training and certifications. Perhaps the medical director was not aware that a demographic change, such as an address update, would need to be shared. Another nuance is that the person submitting credentials would need to list all counties served, which is quite different than that of a sole physician running a practice with one physical location.
What are the other pain points? Time is a major one. When medical professionals are busy saving lives, the last thing on their mind is credentialing. The medical director is responsible for the process, but they have many other responsibilities to look after. Given that credentials need to be renewed every 3-5 years, the deadline can easily slip one’s mind.
While it may be somewhat straightforward, ambulance credentialing is not without its nuances. The fact that ambulances are independent from physicians separates the credentialing needs of an ambulance from that of a more traditional physician practice. Credentialing these entities is actually more similar in theory to that of behavioral health specialists, or another specialty. With that, there is sense of the “unknown.” Even seasoned credentialing professionals may lack experience in this arena.
One way for medical directors to remove this cumbersome task from their plate is through outsourced credentialing. Experts at TriZetto Provider Solutions, a Cognizant Company, can help manage the credentialing process from start to finish. With the Pulse Portal, our straightforward enrollment tool, organizing documents and timelines is easy. Through our extensive knowledge, transparency and consistency, let TPS become an extension of your office.