NAMSS Revises Ideal Credentialing Standards (ICS)
February 21, 2024
Find out how the American Medical Association (AMA) is working with the National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) to remove mandated disclosures about past diagnosis or treatment of mental illness and substance use disorders in the credentialing process. Read more.
Infographic on US Physician Workforce Statistics
January 8, 2024
Click to view the infographic on US Physician workforce statistics. The infographic provides a brief makeup of US physicians, residents, and students. A snippet of what the AMA Physician Professional Data can provide.
Smarter Healthcare: How AI is Changing Everything
November 22, 2023
As AI, or augmented intelligence, as the AMA refers to it, enters the mainstream, it's critical stakeholders to understand how to best leverage these innovations for the benefits of physicians and their patients. Read more.
Physician Satisfaction Starts with Onboarding
November 22, 2023
In October 2023, AMA Chief Experience Officer Todd Unger interviewed Rebecca Lauderdale, MD, physician well-being champion at Hattiesburg Clinic about the steps her health system has taken to support early career physicians with innovative onboarding initiatives. Read more.
Confidential Care to Support Physician Health and Wellness
November 22, 2023
In October 2023, AMA Group Vice President, Michael Tutty, PhD, MHA, FACMPE and AMA Senior Attorney, Daniel Blaney-Koen, JD discussed the problematic questions in medical licensing, employment, and credentialing applications pertaining to disclosure of mental illness or substance use disorder (SUD). We've captured some highlights from that conversation. Read More.
Physician Burnout and AMA Advocacy Efforts
September 27, 2023
The AMA is actively advocating and promoting efforts to help reduce physician burnout and ensure that physicians don’t suffer from the stigmas related to mental health concerns. Find out how in this publication roundup. Read more.
The Role of AI in Health Care: AMA Leadership Weighs In
September 27, 2023
Find out what American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH said about the part AI could play in delivering health care and even alleviating physician burden. Read More.
Navigating Physician Employment: 6 Key Areas
September 27, 2023
Physicians are flocking to hospitals and health systems, creating new challenges for all parties to manage. Learn how the AMA House of Delegates is helping physicians and employers tackle these challenges. Read more.
Introducing: Credentialing Insider Insights
June 27, 2023
In this quarter's update, AMA Sales Representative Billy Prout shares his experience from the recent state conferences (TSMSS, IAMSS, NCAMSS and CAMSS) and dives into current trends. Read more.
Infographic on Credentialing Regulatory Myths Debunked
June 27, 2023
Regulatory information can be overwhelming to track. When that information isn't accurate, it can be damaging. Learn about 10 of the most common regulatory myths debunked by the AMA. Click to view.
How to Handle Medical Staff Application Red Flags
June 27, 2023
Distinguishing between a suspicious medical staff application element and a red flag can be difficult, leaving many MSPs unsure what to do. Learn how to handle these common red flags. Read more.
Questions from the webinar on Credentialing Red Flags
February 8, 2023
On February 1, 2023, industry expert Kathy Matzka, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP, presented a webinar entitled Today's Red Flags: Identifying and Responding to Credentialing Complexities. Read Kathy's answers to viewers' questions from the live webinar.
New changes to AMA Physician Profiles
February 3, 2023
AMA Physician Profiles (Initial only) feature a PRA section when applicable. As an enhancement to the Initial Profile, the dates displayed in the “ACGME-accredited graduate medical training programs” section are now shown in month, day, and year format. Previously, only month and year were displayed. Read more.
AMA and ACGME align expectations for accredited CME activities
January 31, 2023
The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) have simplified and aligned their expectations for accredited CME activities certified for AMA Physician’s recognition Award (PRA) credit.
The Joint Commission updates reappointment timeframe
January 17, 2023
The Joint Commission (TJC) has changed its standards and extended the reappointment/re-privileging timeframe from a two-year to three-year cycle. TJC standards apply to hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory settings. The change better aligns with NCQA standards that set re-credentialing on a three-year cycle.
More details about the new standards can be found in the frequently asked questions.
An explanation of how this change reduces burden is available on the NAMSS website.
Survey shows increased violence in emergency departments harms physicians, affects patient care
November 4, 2022
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) surveyed 2,712 emergency physicians. 89% said increased violence in the ED has negatively affected patient care, up from 77% in 2018. The physicians cited loss of productivity, emotional trauma, increased wait times, and less focus, as direct results of the violence. See more survey highlights.
Questions related to medical group peer review
October 6, 2022
On October 5, 2022, industry expert Elizabeth A. “Libby” Snelson, Esq., presented a webinar entitled Medical Group Peer Review: Legal Issues and Possible Protections, as part of the free AMA Credentialing Insights Webinar Series. The following recaps questions and answers that resulted from that webinar.
NCQA-related Q&A with Amy M. Niehaus, MBA, CPMSM, CPCS
July 20, 2022
In late June 2022, industry expert Amy M. Niehaus, MBA, CPMSM, CPCS, presented a webinar entitled NCQA Credentialing Standards and Associated 2022 Updates, as part of the free AMA Credentialing Insights Webinar Series. View the questions and answers that resulted from that webinar.
Enhancements to AMA Physician and PA Profiles
April 27, 2022
Enhancements to the AMA Physician Profiles include information regarding medical school, ACGME-accredited graduate medical training programs, action notifications and more. Learn more and see examples.
AMA Physician Profiles now offer more DEA data elements
April 4, 2021
AMA Initial and Reappointment Profiles now includes additional data regarding Business Activity, Activity, and Payment indicator. Learn more.
Third edition of AMA’s Standards Table for credentialing has published
October 2, 2020
The third edition of AMA Credentialing Products and Services Measured Against Regulatory and Accreditation Standards, known as the Standards Table, is now available. The table illustrates how AMA Physician Profiles and the Continuous Monitoring Service meet CMS and accreditor standards.
Video: AMA demystifies credentialing for residents
September 10, 2020
In an effort to help new physicians become better prepared for credentialing, AMA has produced a new video on the process. We encourage you to share the video with others in your organization like medical staff leaders and residency program directors. Consider adding a link to the video to your physician credentialing application checklist as well.
Enhanced discrepancy reporting form now available on AMA Profiles Hub
July 20, 2020
Enhancements to the AMA Profiles Hub discrepancy reporting form became live to customers on July 17. Although access to the form remains the same, new features include:
- A new checklist at the start of the process to allow you to build your discrepancy form. Choose only those sections of the profile where you believe a change may be needed.
- Instructional detail clarifies what information must be provided. This helps ensure a quicker, more successful investigation by our AMA data team.
- The addition of drop-down menus eliminates extra work for you and standardizes the data you provide.
Always remember that:
- A discrepancy report for a physician or PA profile can be submitted within 180 days of your profile purchase.
- Discrepancy reports should be filed any time you believe data on an AMA Physician Profile or AMA PA Profile is in question.
- The discrepancy investigation process is thorough and often requires the AMA to contact one or more primary sources to validate data. Working with the primary sources adds a layer of complexity and time to the process.
- On average, AMA reports results by email within 14 days of your report submission but, depending on the depth of the investigation, the process can take up to 30 days. If the investigation results in a change to the profile, an updated profile will be made available for download within AMA Profiles Hub. You will have 30 days to access that updated profile.
New instructional documents on how to report discrepancies are also available to for those users who may have never used the process or are new to AMA Profiles Hub.
Improved user experience planned for discrepancy reporting on AMA Profiles Hub
June 10, 2020
Learn more about changes coming to the discrepancy reporting form. Also check out new instructional documents regarding discrepancy reporting.
COVID-19 causes temporary state licensing board changes
May 11, 2020
AMA is continuously monitoring temporary changes made by state licensing boards in response to COVID-19. Click to view the latest information and how it is communicated on an AMA Profile.
COVID-19 impacts Florida DO license renewal
May 13, 2020
Osteopathic physicians with an active Florida license set to expire Mar. 31, 2020, will have until May 31, 2020, to renew their Florida licenses. This extension affects 769 records. On an AMA Profile, the license will show a status of Active and a past expiration date. Updates to the data to reflect new status and/or expiration date are anticipated after June 1, 2020, and will be reflected on the AMA Profile. See the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine for the original story.
Michigan Bureau launches new licensing platform
April 20, 2020
The Michigan Bureau of Professional Licensing launched a new licensing platform known as MiPLUS in 2019. That platform launch required some existing physician license numbers be converted to new numbers. The conversion affected 4,067 allopathic (MD) licenses and 1,628 osteopathic (DO) licenses classified by the state as one of the following:
- Medical Doctor Education Limited
- Osteopathic Physician Education Limited
- Medical Doctor Academic Limited
- Medical Doctor Limited
On an AMA Profile, these license types are noted as either restricted or limited. Changes made by the state of Michigan did not affect full license types.
One of the values of an AMA Profile is that it provides a complete record of a physician’s license history. As such, information for both the converted Michigan license number and the new license number has been reported on affected profiles since the change went into effect
To gain further proof of this change, a free verification of a Michigan license number can be conducted by clicking “Verify a License” at www.michigan.gov/bpl. The Michigan Bureau of Professional Licensing has confirmed for the AMA that when a converted license number is entered in the LARA verification system, it will validate that converted number by returning information linked to the new license number.
Questions specific to the Michigan license number conversion can be directed to BPLHelp@michigan.gov.
State Actions Related to licensure response to COVID-19.
March 25, 2020
Click to view the State Actions related to licensure in response to COVID-19.
Infographic on US Physician Workforce Statistics
March 20, 2020
Click to view the infographic on US Physician workforce statistics. The infographic provides a brief makeup of US physicians, residents, and students. A snippet of what the AMA Masterfile data can provide.
Change by specialty board leads to new profile status indicator
January 7, 2020
Beginning Jan. 17, 2020, a new status indicator will be reported within the Specialty Board Certification section of an AMA Physician Profile. The new status indicator is Converted. It indicates that a certificate type is no longer applicable due to a change put into effect by a specialty board. A converted status does not carry with it any negative or red flag implications.
When it goes into effect, the converted status will apply initially to fewer than 3,000 radiologists.
AMA identified the need for a new indicator when the American Board of Radiology completed a recent certificate conversion project. Details about those certificate types converted by the ABR and its memo to credentialers and practices can be found on the following web pages: