Credentialing of Physicians in the Army.

摘要

Credentialing of physicians is a process to specifically define areas of medical practice to include specific modalities of care which a medical treatment facility (MTF) grants to a physician who applies for practice privileges in that facility. This practice, in some form, has always been carried out in both military and civilian hospitals but has come under closer scrutiny by the public as well as federal and state governmental agencies as part of the overall concern for quality assurance in medical care. Recently the Defense Health Council studied the status of the Credentialing process in the military and made several recommendations for improvement. Although not specifically mentioned in the report, the credentialing process for the Reserve Components is an area of concern to the Army Surgeon General. This paper reflects the current process of credentialing physicians in military MTFs with emphasis on the Army to include the Reserve Components and recommended improvements which have been incorporated in the change to Chapter 9, AR 40-66 Quality Assurance Program, which is presently being staffed prior to final approval by the Department of the Army.