Value of Professional Credentialing in the Health Care Industry
Discussion of the intended role of licensing and credentialing
It crucial that process of conforming credentials and licensing be done in the health care sector. The role of licensing, credentialing and certification in any field, and particularly in the field of health care and medicines is critical because these processes by government and other accredited agencies are essential to ensure that all practitioners in a particular field, and in the health care field in particular, have the requisite training and knowledge and, if existent, the experience also, in order to perform their duties well as a qualified professionals in their respective fields (Smith, 2015). Another important aspect or aim of engaging and ensuring that people and organizations go through the process of licensing and credentialing is to help protect the patients and the consumers and therefore apart from the predominant use of these processes in the healthcare field, they are being used more and more in public health and many other regulated professions.
Depending on the stream of healthcare, the processes of licensing and credentialing have varying terms of licensing and credentialing. It also depends on the particular local government or agency who may have additional norms to meet the local demands expected from the professionals. However, within the healthcare context, there are differences between licensing and credentialing as understood by the professionals and agencies ("Self-regulation of Professionals in Health Care," 2000). For example, licensing is generally referred to as the formal recognition of a professional by a government regulatory agency or a recognized body about a person having passed all the qualifications that are necessary to practice a particular profession, applicable for a doctor or a nurse, within a particular area under the jurisdiction of the agency or body.
This area can be a state or the entire country.
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Some form of a combination of that includes education, training and examination that demonstrate competency is typically required for licensure. Such licensure requirements can also involve re-examination and a continuing process of education and training to keep the license valid after a certain point in time ("Position Statement on Credentialing and Privileging for Nurse Practitioners," 2016). Also, a professional licensed in a particular area of jurisdiction, wants to obtain a license for the same profession in another area of jurisdiction, then the existing license would also serve as a part of the process of licensing in the new area of jurisdiction.
On the other hand credentialing is generally considered to be the process where an employer, most often a hospital or a health maintenance organization (HMO), certifies after verification that a professional practitioner possesses the required education and the training and experience that would allow that professional to practice in a particular area. The types of credential and the process of verification which any hospital or any other healthcare provider has to address while credentialing a practitioner are sometimes specified by state or local laws and regulations ("Position Statement on Credentialing and Privileging for Nurse Practitioners," 2016).
Hence it can be said that the roles of licensing and credentialing are very crucial for any medical or health professional to continue with his or her profession as well as it can be a guidance for others to judge the quality and experience of a particular professional (Rudov & Skillings, 1975). Such licensing and….....
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