Keeping credential information up-to-date is a crucial task. In this article, we want to emphasis the importance of working efficiently and staying ahead of expirations, especially during the document gathering process.
As the accreditation survey date is approaching, all outdated documents should be collected sooner than later. Failure to gather them in advance will affect the outcome of the accreditation survey especially if the doctors are difficult to reach at the last minute.
Even when you contact doctors well ahead of time, you might not receive all necessary documents at once or in time. It’s common that credential manager need to go through several iterations of back-and-forth communication with Doctors and their assistants, before receiving all the necessary documents in file. Sometimes, credential managers can’t even get what they need.
To avoid continuously calling one doctor for different documents, the most efficient way to gather files is to be thorough with what is needed at each point of contact. In the following sections, we’ll walk you through best practices on gathering files and provide some template messages for contacting doctors.
- Stick to the ‘Physician Credentials Calendar’ and reminders.
When the calendar notifies you about an upcoming document expiration, act immediately before you forget about it. Send the message shortly after the reminder, or add the task to the same day’s queue if you are in the middle of working on something.
Each document event should have notifications set for 4 weeks, 2 weeks, and 5 days (or based on your own preferences). Check the status of the document at each notification to find out if you need to send another reminder out to the doctor.
- Contact the physician by phone.
Begin by calling the doctor’s listed contact phone number in the credential file. Be prepared to speak with an individual or to leave a message if nobody answers.
Include the following information when contacting the doctor:
- Your name and position
- The facility name
- The doctor’s name
- Names and expiration dates of the missing and/or outdated document(s)
- A deadline date for the doctor to get you the documents
- Your work phone number
- Your fax machine number
- OR Your email address
- OR Your office address
- Follow-up with an email after the phone call.
After contacting the doctor by phone, send a follow-up email with the necessary documents and contact information listed. In case the doctor or assistant mishears the phone message, the electronic message acts as a backup.
Subject: Silver Medical Facility | Updating DEA License and PALS for Dr. Smith
Hi Dr. Smith,
This is a reminder from Silver Medical Facility about your upcoming expiring documents:
- DEA License - Exp: 6/30/2015
- PALS - Exp: 7/5/2015
Please send the updated copies to us by next Friday, 6/10/2015. You can reply to this email with the files attached, or fax the documents to: (123)456-7890.
If you prefer to send the updated documents by mail, you can send it to:
Attn: Credential Manager Name
123 Silversheet Lane Suite 123
Silver City, CA 12345
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by phone or email.
Thank You,
Amy Apple
Credential Manager
Silver Medical Facility
(121)121-1212
- Send reminder messages.
If you haven’t received updated documents by the deadline date, you will need to send reminder messages to the doctor. Like the initial outreach, call the doctor first and then send the reminder email.
Subject: Silver Medical Facility | Reminder! Updating DEA License and PALS for Dr. Smith
Hi Dr. Smith,
This is a second reminder from Silver Medical Facility about your upcoming expiring documents:
- DEA License - Exp: 6/30/2015
- PALS - Exp: 7/5/2015
Please send the updated copies to us as soon as possible. You can reply to this email with the files attached, or fax the documents to: (123)456-7890.
Attn: Credential Manager Name
123 Silversheet Lane Suite 123
Silver City, CA 12345
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by phone or email.
Thank You,
Amy Apple
Credential Manager
Silver Medical Facility
(121)121-1212
If the doctor is difficult to reach by phone and email, you can send a letter reminder to their listed address in the credential file. Send the letter from the facility address and use an official letterhead.
- Keep electronic copies of all documents.
During the collection and organization process for each doctor, scan and store all documents in a large flash drive or hard drive. Keeping an electronic copy will guarantee a backup of vital records at a low cost. If one of the physician files becomes misplaced, it easy to duplicate the same file by accessing and printing the scanned copies.
Like using one physical labeled folder for each physician, using computer folders to organize the scans will make it easy to search for a particular doctor. Name each computer file folder “LAST NAME_FIRST NAME” and drag all folders to a “Credentials” folder.
- Update the file folder and spreadsheet.
Add the printed copies of the updated documents into the physician credential file. Keep the file organized by preserving the same order and including the most recent document on top of the outdated ones. Update the Physician Files spreadsheet with the new expiration date for each credential document and save.
With Silversheet implemented into your credentialing workflow, doctors can receive expiration reminders and update credential files by themselves. Get in touch and find out how our software can help you go paperless today.