CPCS CPCS Locum Tenens and Temporary Credentialing 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the maximum duration that Joint Commission standards allow a hospital to use a 'expedited' or temporary credentialing process for a locum tenens physician before full credentials must be verified?
- 120 days (Correct answer)
- 180 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
Correct answer: 120 days
TJC permits expedited credentialing for locum tenens practitioners for up to 120 days, after which full primary source verification must be completed.
Question 2: A locum tenens agency claims they have already verified a practitioner's credentials and sends a credential summary. Can the hospital rely solely on this summary?
- No; the hospital must independently verify credentials or obtain primary source verification from the agency under a documented agreement (Correct answer)
- Yes, as long as the agency is accredited by NCQA
- Yes, if the practitioner has worked at the hospital before
- No, only the NPDB query is required independently
Correct answer: No; the hospital must independently verify credentials or obtain primary source verification from the agency under a documented agreement
Hospitals remain responsible for credentialing decisions and must either independently verify or have a formal agreement with the agency that confirms PSV was performed to accreditation standards.
Question 3: Under CMS Conditions of Participation, which practitioner information MUST be queried from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) during the temporary privileging process?
- Any adverse actions, malpractice payments, and licensure actions for all physicians and dentists (Correct answer)
- Only malpractice payment history for surgeons
- Licensure information only for non-physician practitioners
- Criminal background check results
Correct answer: Any adverse actions, malpractice payments, and licensure actions for all physicians and dentists
CMS CoP requires hospitals to query the NPDB for adverse actions, malpractice payments, and licensure actions for physicians and dentists as part of any credentialing or temporary privileging process.
Question 4: A hospital needs a surgeon immediately due to an unexpected vacancy. Which mechanism allows privileges to be granted rapidly without full credentials committee review?
- Emergency or disaster credentialing provisions authorized by the medical staff bylaws or emergency management plan (Correct answer)
- Verbal approval from the department chair only
- Automatic reciprocity from any other accredited hospital
- A signed attestation from the locum agency
Correct answer: Emergency or disaster credentialing provisions authorized by the medical staff bylaws or emergency management plan
Most accreditation standards and bylaws include emergency credentialing provisions that allow expedited granting of privileges during urgent or disaster situations.
Question 5: Which document must be on file BEFORE a locum tenens practitioner sees their first patient under temporary privileges?
- Completed temporary privilege application, current licensure verification, and NPDB query results (Correct answer)
- Only a signed employment contract with the locum agency
- A letter of good standing from the practitioner's home hospital
- A peer reference from a colleague only
Correct answer: Completed temporary privilege application, current licensure verification, and NPDB query results
Before patient care begins, the hospital must have a completed application, verified current licensure, and NPDB query results at minimum to grant temporary privileges.
Question 6: What is the PRIMARY risk of granting temporary privileges to a locum tenens practitioner without completing an NPDB query?
- The hospital may be liable for negligent credentialing if the practitioner has undisclosed adverse actions (Correct answer)
- The practitioner's malpractice insurance becomes void
- The state medical board will automatically revoke hospital accreditation
- The locum agency bears sole liability for any adverse outcomes
Correct answer: The hospital may be liable for negligent credentialing if the practitioner has undisclosed adverse actions
Skipping the NPDB query exposes the hospital to negligent credentialing liability if the practitioner had reportable adverse actions that would have disqualified them.
CPCS CPCS Locum Tenens and Temporary Credentialing 1
What is the maximum duration that Joint Commission standards allow a hospital to use a 'expedited' or temporary credentialing process for a locum tenens physician before full credentials must be verified?