Medical Staff Credentialing Vendors Meeting New Telehealth Needs

Medical staff credentialing vendors have risen to the challenge of meeting emerging needs, such as credentialing providers for telehealth during the pandemic, KLAS reports.

Healthcare organizations feel that top medical staff credentialing vendors have delivered a positive experience when it came to telehealth credentialing during the pandemic, according to a new report from the market research firm.

The report surveyed healthcare organizations using medical staff credentialing vendors ASM, IntelliSoft (now a part of symplr), Modio Health, Silversheet, symplr, Verge Health, and VerityStream.

Users stated that ASM’s MD-Staff, Modio, Silversheet (limited data), Verge, and VerityStream’s Echo solutions all consistently met or exceeded expectations for telehealth credentialing, citing quick turnaround times and effective management of credentialing by proxy.

Meanwhile, users of IntelliSoft, which was acquired by symplr in 2019, reported that telehealth credentialing met their needs, although the vendor did not exceed expectations.

Healthcare organizations also experienced some challenges with telehealth credentialing during the pandemic. VerityStream’s MSOW and symplr’s Cactus users were the most likely to report challenges, but those challenges stemmed largely from more general issues users had with the vendor as opposed to issues with telehealth credentialing specifically.

VerityStream MSOW users, for example, cited cost challenges and a lack of hands-on guidance, while users of symplr Cactus recounted issues with system usability, complicated workflows, and lack of strategic guidance from the vendor.

Medical staff credentialing solution users also highly rated Verge Health for its remote credentialing capabilities, making the vendor a market leader in terms of user satisfaction. Other users also scored Modio Health and ASM MD-Staff high for remote credentialing capabilities in 2020, saying that the solutions are functional and reliable although usability could be improved.

In terms of emergency credentialing, Verge Health, Modio, and ASM MD-Staff all met or exceeded user expectations during the pandemic, turning around credentialing needs in a timely manner. Urgent credentialing was also a strong point for symplr Cactus.

COVID-19 highlighted the need for credentialing vendors to offer good user support, KLAS stated.

Healthcare organizations had to bring on new providers to handle surges of COVID-19 patients, including providers who may be located in another state and are filling care gaps through telehealth and other virtual care services.

Onboarding providers quickly and efficiently was crucial to managing the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Organizations relied on medical staff credentialing vendors to meet their emerging needs so providers could focus on maintaining access to care.

Users satisfied with their medical staff credentialing solution last year tended to highlight the vendor’s “hands-on” guidance – even when it was virtual – and frequent communication. Satisfied users also emphasized their vendor’s willingness to devote resources and sometimes extra staff to ensure the solution met emerging needs, like emergency credentialing.

This support was a key factor in user decisions about go-forward partners, the report showed.

All Verge Health users, for example, said the vendor is a partner who can help them through evolving credentialing needs, oftentimes citing how the vendor was highly communicative. Users also said the vendor continually updated the solution and proactively anticipated client needs.

About 88 percent of Modio Health users also said the vendor is a partner, largely due to the vendor’s flexibility and support. Some users said it felt like the vendor was part of their organization.

For other vendors, 71 percent viewed ASM (MD-Staff) as a partner, 69 percent Intellisoft (now part of symplr), and 64 percent symplr Cactus.

Silversheet and VerityStream both had limited data, although 83 percent of Silversheet’s small customer base viewed the vendor as a partner who can help with evolving credentialing needs.

KLAS also noted in the report that the vendors all have different approaches to medical staff credentialing and serve different segments of the markets. For example, Verge Health primarily offers services, and Modio Health and Silversheet serve mostly ambulatory organizations.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, providers overwhelmingly agreed that medical staff credentialing technology is worth the investment. Providers highlighted the technology’s ability to strengthen onboarding and optimize workflows, which in turn safeguarded revenue and patient safety.

“Having a comprehensive credentialing process is vital for healthcare organizations to avoid malpractice, protect against financial risks, and ensure patient safety,” KLAS stated in the report. “As a result of many recent M&As, organizations have larger pools of providers to credential and are increasingly looking for IT tools with robust functionality and automation to make the process more efficient.”