When researching medical credentialing software, people often look for answers to these questions—Does it have the features they need? Should they buy into it? Overall, is it useful and does it justify cost-savings?
Let’s explore some of the benefits of today’s credentialing software and why healthcare centers should replace their traditional credentialing methods.
1. A Helpful Onboarding Team and an Easy-to-use Experience Yields a Short Training Time
Tools that are meant to make tasks easier shouldn’t be difficult to learn. At Silversheet, we want users to easily find and do what they wanted to without noise. We made the platform intuitive and simple so our users avoid complicated workflows like the those common in software developed in the 90’s.
Teaching a new credentialing staff member the paper method is more complicated than learning a credentialing software in which each document, button, or list stays in its designated place. Instead of memorizing steps yourself, the software walks you through them. With the additional help of an onboarding or Customer Success team from the company, the center can be completely onboarded and trained in as short as one day.
Software companies want to see their customers succeed when using their product. They are willing to provide resources to see that the implementation process finishes seamlessly.
2. Medical Credentialing Software is More Than Just Completing the Provider Application
Completing the appointment application is just the first step to managing the provider’s credential file. The management and renewal process follows and is crucial for making sure that all providers are compliant while practicing at the center. Modern medical credentialing software have become a management workflow tool in addition to seeing a provider’s initial appointment through.
The management features allow for users to renew, verify, and log credentials in just a few clicks. Workflows help reduce error because they act like a checklist that accounts for all the small things credential managers must do.
Take querying the NPDB for instance. The software will bring you through a step-by-step workflow:
- Did you run the NPDB query? Do you have a copy?
- When did you run it?
- Were there any adverse actions found? What were they?
- Do you have any notes on query?
- Does the provider have an attestation or explanation?
- What is outcome of the internal board review?
3. Automating Credentialing Tasks Saves Time and Headache
Credential coordinators must collect and verify multiple documents for each physician. Working with paper files is time-consuming and disadvantageous to the center and the provider waiting for appointment. Credentialing software reduces credentialing time by automating the most tedious multi-step tasks.
Automation is “the use of software technology to increase the efficiency of a workflow by improving the coordination of the activities.” Credentialing automation includes setting reminders, running queries, and renewing documents… important tasks that are considered “the busy work” in credentialing. By reducing the extra little steps that traditional methods require, the credentialing coordinator can cut his or her credentialing time by 50% or more.
A day in the office without having to manually create individual reminders or visit the OIG website for each provider is a day with less tedious credentialing tasks. We’ve heard no complaints there.
4. Customizable Features and Forms Reduce Paperwork and Extra Steps
Credentialing is a repetitive task. In a center where there are more than 10 providers, the odds are that the credentialing coordinator is going through many of the same motions when working with paper files, which do not support “copy and pasting” or “select all” functions. For a center with at least 50 providers, the repetitive paperwork consumes hours upon hours.
One time-saving feature we created for our users is the ability to create templates of the privileges when logging a provider’s appointments and privileges. By choosing from our existing lists or creating one from scratch to use for doctors in the same specialty, the credentialing coordinator doesn’t need to write out each privilege granted.
Another customizable feature in our credentialing software is the Peer References. We provide a few standard Quality Indicators, but users can add additional indicators. By digitizing the Peer References, credentialing coordinators reduce a large bulk of paperwork and the time it takes to mail letters.
5. Share Data Easily with Reporting Features
Sometimes you need to see what documents are expiring across every provider. When working with out a credentialing software, you can create reports by hand-recording each credential’s status in a spreadsheet.
Credentialing softwares can gather that information onto one sheet so there is no need to check and gather each provider’s information individually. Reports allow for the sharing of information with other credentialing staff or departments. It is easy to filter, create, and also integrates with Excel.
When you compare the workflows of traditional credentialing methods and credentialing software, there is a big difference in time and efficiency. If you’re using pen and paper to credential, you should be looking into a software that will make your life a lot easier.
Request a demo or give our team a shout. We will be happy to show you how useful credentialing software is.