If you are planning to hire a new doctor or establish your own practice, it is crucial to initiate the credentialing process ahead of time to prevent potential issues. Neglecting the importance of medical credentialing services could lead to delayed cash flow, challenges in scheduling due to patient restrictions, and frequent communication with insurance providers.
This article aims to list 10 effective tips for successful medical staff credentialing. Before getting into that topic, let us first understand the significance of credentialing.
Provider credentialing is the process of confirming a physician’s attendance at a medical school and their possession of a state license. It also entails verifying their employment history and examining malpractice insurance carriers that are associated with them.
Additionally, credentialing requires conducting a background check on the provider's criminal and financial records, as well as a review of their social media background, which is becoming increasingly important. The references provided by the physician will also be checked. Since this is a complex procedure that often takes longer than anticipated, it is crucial to start preparing early. Here are ten helpful tips to ensure a successful provider credentialing process.
1. Connect with a medical staff credentialing partner
If you intend to delegate credentialing responsibilities, it is important to engage with a medical credentialing service such as ProLocums to effectively manage deadlines and expiration dates. By receiving timely reminders, you can guarantee that no one's credentials lapse, preventing any denials of reimbursements.
2. Make sure to allocate sufficient time for the credentialing procedure
It is recommended to budget around 150 days for the credentialing process, although it is expected to take approximately 90 days. It is important to be aware that each payer has its own timeline for credentialing. By assuming a longer time frame, you can ensure that you are prepared for the process, and if it takes less time, it will be a pleasant surprise.
3. Keep informed about the credentialing program offered by the Coalition for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH)
Payers are widely embracing the Coalition for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) uniform credentialing program. Physicians who consistently update and verify their information through CAQH experience smoother and more effective credentialing and re-credentialing processes, making it highly beneficial to engage with this program.
4. Link the start date of a new provider to the submission of their credentialing forms
Some practices require credentialing paperwork to be submitted immediately after extending an employment offer, while others tie the starting date of a new physician to the submission of paperwork. For instance, you could set the starting date no earlier than 120 days from the receipt of their credentialing information.
5. Develop a credentialing process that is sustainable
Establishing a credentialing workflow may pose difficulties, but it proves beneficial in the long run. Regardless of whether the credentialing process is outsourced, your workflow must ensure the retention of all necessary forms and documents. In a practice with multiple physicians, re-credentialing constantly arises, making it highly advantageous to have a workflow that can effectively handle this task.
6. Do not make the assumption that all payers permit billing a new physician as locum tenens.
You have the option to bill a new physician as locum tenens with certain payers if their credentials are not yet complete. However, not all payers allow this practice. It is advisable to complete the physician's credentialing process in order to bill normally. If that is not possible, it is recommended to contact the payers to determine their policy on locum tenens billing.
7. Ensure that you regularly update all contact information for physicians
Ensure that your credentialing coordinator keeps accurate and current contact information for all physicians. It is crucial to have direct contact in order to efficiently handle any credentialing or re-credentialing matters. Additionally, the credentialing process requires submitting multiple forms, and it is vital to maintain clear communication throughout.
8. Ensure that every physician has a clear understanding of the obligations and expectations placed upon them.
It is essential for every provider to be aware of their obligations regarding credentialing or re-credentialing. Upon extending a job offer, it is important to clearly communicate to the new employee the specific information required, such as their work and education history, certification and license details, as well as malpractice liability certification, among other necessary documents.
9. Perform a personal background check at the outset
Numerous practices opt to perform independent background checks on prospective physicians, ensuring their training, licensure, and employment records are accurate before extending a job offer. While it may seem excessive, this precautionary measure effectively prevents any potential complications stemming from licensing issues after hiring.
10. Gain a complete understanding of the regulations in your state
Physician credentialing laws may vary by state, and some states may have reciprocity agreements with payers and other credentialing organizations from different states. If a physician is already credentialed with a payer in another state and plans to join your practice, the payer may expedite the credentialing process for their new position.
Having a clear understanding of credentialing processes can greatly improve the efficiency of practice and accelerate cash flow. Issues with medical credentialing services can be costly and hinder productivity, highlighting the need for a well-established procedure to ensure credentials are always up to date. To ensure you experience a seamless credentialing process, connect with ProLocums.
If you're trying to pay off medical school loans while avoiding the rat race—or you're planning a more relaxed route toward retirement—a medical staffing agency might be exactly what you need. These agencies help healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and allied health workers find temporary contract opportunities across medical facilities. Whether you're after flexibility, diverse clinical exposure, or high-paying contracts working through a staffing agency can help you meet your personal and professional goals.
Malpractice insurance proves to be the major pros of partnering with a credible healthcare staffing agency. These agencies typically offer full coverage, so you’re listed as an additional insured under the policy. Understanding key insurance terms—like claims made and occurrence-based policies or tail and nose coverage—is important.
Staffing agencies partner with hospitals, clinics, and rural facilities across the country, so you can work in various healthcare settings. This exposure not only enhances your clinical skills but also expands your professional network making you more competitive in the long run. Whether you want to try out a new region or test different specialties these contracts offer flexibility.
Continued education resources, help with licensing, travel logistics, and even housing arrangements are often part of the package. Great agencies also help with out-of-state credentialing so you stay compliant and up to date with your documentation. A strong credentialing department will notify you of expiring licenses or certifications before they become an issue.
With so many agencies to choose from it's important to find one that aligns with your values, goals, and preferences. Here are some tips:
Searching online for a healthcare staffing agency near me will help you narrow down options that fit your location and specialty needs.
Contract jobs offer great opportunities, but you need to take charge by excelling in temporary positions:
Medical workers now turn to staffing agencies to get flexibility and make more money. Those in the middle of their careers use agencies to test different work settings or travel. Professionals close to retirement take on short-term jobs to stay in healthcare but work less.
If you want to discover your options, looking up for a healthcare staffing agency near me is a smart way to begin finding jobs that fit both your goals and how you live your life.
A healthcare staffing agency offer more benefits in addition to finding jobs. They provide what you need to succeed, including help with insurance, credentialing, learning opportunities, and access to various roles in today’s fast-changing medical field.
If you want to move forward your career, ProLocums stands out as a great option. They link healthcare workers to clinics and hospitals all over the country. Their team provides custom support and contracts designed to match your goals. Whether you want more freedom new experiences, or better pay, ProLocums helps you land the right opportunity.
06/11/2025
The healthcare sector is growing swiftly, and telemedicine is at the forefront of this growth. For locum professionals, this transformation presents an exceptional opportunity. In the past, people had to relocate for short-term assignments, but today they can perform the same job from a home office with a secure internet connection.
Telemedicine isn’t the future. It’s the present. And for locum physicians, it’s changing the manner you work, connect, and provide care.
Usually, locum tenens work was very flexible, though it could interrupt a person’s routine in other ways. Clinicians were tasked with going to many locations, getting accustomed to new ways of working, and dealing with different levels of help in each facility. Telemedicine changes that equation entirely.
Today, you have the ability to give excellent care to patients anywhere in the country without traveling. Now, you can overlook prolonged car rides, daily hotel stays, extensive travels, and instead manage your schedule, finances, and time with utmost flexibility.
Care facilities are undergoing grave staffing shortages. As demand increases, so does the requirement for accessible care. Telemedicine service has stepped in to fill that gap, and locum physicians are uniquely suitable to succeed in this model.
1. Practice from Anywhere, Serve Everywhere
Consider the possibility of working from your living room but still helping people living far away. Since telehealth allows remote communication, you can serve patients from different places. Instead, you can:
2. Expand Your Reach, Not Your Commute
Thanks to telemedicine, you are able to treat more people than before. When you choose virtual care, you are getting the full benefits of medical care.
3. Build a More Varied Career
Using a simulated environment, you can encounter various care procedures, modern platforms, and what patients require. As you go on, these experiences can make you more skilled and attractive to employers. Not having the same cases all the time helps prevent the professional exhaustion that usually comes with traditional locum work.
1. Understand Licensing Requirements
Nowadays, patients search for ‘telemedicine service near me’ in order to consult physicians virtually. Each state has its own rules for telehealth, and in most cases, you must have a license in the patient’s location. Luckily, some strategies can help make the process less difficult:
Working with a staffing agency means that you don't have to worry about paperwork and credentialing
2. Get Comfortable with the Tech
You don’t have to know everything about computers, but you do need to feel secure using technology. Before starting your first assignment, you should ensure you are trained and prepared on all you need to know.
3. Focus on Virtual Bedside Manner
In the end, taking care of patients is mostly about connecting. You should communicate in a different way when working remotely.
Trust and love are still important, even when the interaction is on a screen.
Telemedicine helps in locating professionals and finding ways to succeed, change, and work as they please. If you wish to increase your income, avoid exhaustion, or get a better balance in your life, telemedicine offers you a great solution.
Perform a Google search by typing ‘telemedicine near me’. At ProLocums, applicants can take part in top telemedicine assignments. We help with licensing, training, and finding the right candidates for you so you can concentrate on what you are good at. delivering excellent care.
Want to take part in the advances of the healthcare industry? Get in touch with ProLocums now to find remote locum positions that are a good fit for your needs and aims.
05/20/2025
Absolutely! Here’s how. Doctors who work in locum positions possess high levels of specialization because they can work in multiple medical fields through their varied work opportunities. The locum physician industry features specific positions for medical professionals who are OB/GYNs, radiologists, or cardiologists. Locum doctors select full-time roles because they enjoy the flexibility and higher compensation levels as well as the diversity of roles available to them.
ProLocums collaborates with professional-specific providers each day to assist them in their locum physician job search. The specific breakdown of how specialization operates within locum practices can be explored through the following details.
The locum positions extend beyond general practice clinical work. All medical specialties currently experience a growing need for locum workers. The development of medical expertise by doctors leads to positive outcomes for them in this situation. The locum jobs online opportunity exists for both high-risk neurology specialists and emergency medicine practitioners who want to use their expertise.
Top specialties in demand include
High demand exists in locum practice because of workforce deficits alongside rising patient numbers and the requirement for short-term medical staffing solutions, primarily in rural medical areas without sufficient physician presence.
Medical practitioners remain the leading community of locum professionals, but the employment sector continues to expand. Various healthcare occupations currently provide temporary roles with similar working characteristics to locum positions.
The workforce of advanced practice providers incorporates NPs together with PAs who fill positions in different healthcare settings, including primary care, urgent care, and specialties.
Nurses (RNs & LPNs) are in high demand for temporary roles across the country.
The field of locum work includes various allied professionals such as pharmacists, along with physical therapists, lab scientists, and radiologic technologists.
On-demand dental professionals consisting of specialists and dentists have priority placement requirements in specific geographical areas where physician staffing remains challenging.
Healthcare professionals seeking both flexibility in work and meaningful employment will find a good match through locum jobs online.
The practice of locum has evolved into a permanent locum physician job choice for multiple doctors in healthcare fields. More physicians now opt for locum-only practice because they receive the following advantages:
Locum offers physicians complete freedom to determine their working hours along with their locations and work frequency. Similarly, they get higher pay, often better than permanent roles, especially for high-demand specialties. They will experience less burnout due to reduced administrative burden while focusing more on patient care.
Healthcare professionals who choose locum roles have the chance to see different medical systems at urban hospitals and rural clinics. This lifestyle appeals to early-career doctors exploring different settings. Physicians who have stopped working full-time can utilize such opportunities to work as they please. Similarly, they can enjoy adventurous trips, thereby maintaining work-life balance. Specialists choose this path for obtaining elevated salary prospects together with expanded professional variety options.
Locum and specialization complement each other in powerful ways:
1. Precision Matching
The databases and matching systems at locum agencies help identify facilities requiring specialists according to your recorded skills. Your opportunities to work at your full licensing scope will increase when selected through locum services.
2. Filling Critical Gaps
Hospitals depend on locum specialists to handle vacancies, which become especially important in areas where permanent staff cannot be hired easily. The depth of your skills ensures continuous patient treatment remains strong during critical healthcare moments.
3. Expanding Your Experience
Locating your practice in diverse settings allows specialists to encounter multiple healthcare environments, clinical approaches, medical systems, and patient demographics. Early-stage medical practitioners can boost their careers by working as locums, while professionals at any stage can use locum work for clinical refreshment.
Doctors usually select locum because it provides them with control over their personal lives. Doctors who choose locum can accomplish their goals of finding improved work-life balance and career development as well as exploring new opportunities.
ProLocums exists to assist your professional development. The recruiting team at our company connects medical professionals with roles matching their field through high-demand positions. Our company enables all locums to simplify their lifestyle because we provide premier compensation alongside certification aid with flexible positions and travel benefits.
Ready for your adventure era? Contact our ProLocums staff or view current openings through our website. The right opportunity is waiting.
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