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Industry News

Read the latest in industry news.

Two Big Wins in Physician Credentialing 

May 23, 2024

Following the AMA's recommendation that credentialing application language should focus on a physician's current state and not ask about past diagnoses or treatments, the National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) has removed two stigmatizing questions from its standard credentialing application. Find out the changes to those questions. Read more

 

How Massachusetts is Reducing Mental Health Stigmas in the Physician Credentialing Process 

May 24, 2024

Learn how Massachusetts is providing a framework for reducing mental health stigmas in the physician credentialing process. AMA Chief Experience Officer Todd Unger interview Steven Defossez, MD, Vice President of Clinical integration at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, and Stefanie Simmons, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation in a recent episode of AMA Update. Read more.

 

How 15 health Systems are Reducing Physician Burnout 

May 24, 2024

Discover which members of the AMA Health System Program are tackling physician burnout and finding ways to improve the well-being of their workforce. Read more.

 

Debunking the Myth: Adherence to Joint Commission Standards 

May 24, 2024

We've debunked the myth that The Joint Commission only holds accredited health care organizations accountable to The Joint Commission. Find out more.

 

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: