to do so , etc . However – there will be times when we want to convene a Credentials meeting – perhaps not every month , but from time to time it is advantageous to have discussions that include the ability to note not only what someone says , but their body language when they say it . We are certain that going forward the need to conduct some business in person will be considered and planned .
What about continued working from home ? 75 % of our survey respondents anticipate that credentialing staff will continue to work remotely in some capacity ( full time / part time ). That means that the methods that have been put in place during the pandemic will need to continue to accommodate not only the staff , but the providers who have become accustomed to interacting with credentialing staff electronically .
Another finding of the survey is that 23.3 % of respondents reported credentialing staff have been furloughed or permanently laid off .
How will continued remote work and the potential ( or reality ) of decreased staffing mean in practical terms for credentialing professionals ? It means that credentialing departments must leverage as many tasks as they can to software – additional staff does not appear to be on the horizon . Prior to COVID-19 we saw a movement to maximize the use of technology to manage provider data and now it has escalated . And we may not yet have seen the full impact on staffing that lowered healthcare revenues may dictate . Making sure that the use of credentialing software is maximized will certainly be a priority for many credentialing departments . provider satisfaction . We believe that is because credentialing / medical staff office / enrollment staff were the primary users of provider data management / credentialing software in the past . When an organization goes entirely electronic , the providers become the primary users .
In last year ’ s report , we anticipated that by now in 2021 , we would be back to “ normal .” What we now understand is that based upon our experiences during the past 12 + months and what we have learned , our industry will be defining a “ new normal .” We look forward to partnering with many of you as we take this journey together . HealthStream is committed to provide the tools that are needed to streamline credentialing , privileging and enrollment activities . It is our hope that this report is used by healthcare organizations to assess where they are on their improvement efforts and strategize for where they will target their activities in 2021 and beyond . As has been said many times during the past year : “ We are in this together .”
The other trend that we have identified is a new focus on provider satisfaction related to collection of provider data and the credentialing process . In our 2020 and 2021 surveys , approximately 30 % of organizations indicated that they survey providers to ascertain their satisfaction with the credentialing and privileging process . When we speak with HealthStream customers , we have noted an emphasis on making sure that the processes put in place are “ provider friendly ” – and a goal that is almost always included in what a customer wants to achieve in implementation of new software ( or maximizing what they already have ) is to increase
2020 Annual Report on Medical Staff Credentialing 4