In 2016 , CAPS was brought fully into the 21st century , and the changes implemented will have positive effects on the hospitals and physicians who must receive facility credentials quickly and efficiently .
“ We are analyzing and reorganizing CAPS from the top to the bottom ,” Guinn said in our November 2015 issue of Louisville Medicine . “ I ’ m pledging now that over the next year our credentialing service will continue to develop and improve . We will do this through good old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity . Thank you for your continued support and business . We will not take it for granted .”
In the last 12 months , that promise was kept . The CAPS department and application completion process has been redesigned with added emphasis on customer service and efficiency . Our statistics as of October 2016 show that a substantial shift has taken place .
Prior to January 2016 , the average time from the initial submission of an application to completion was 88 days . Today , it ’ s been cut almost in half to 45 days per application . The number of complete reappointment applications sent has seen an even more drastic change . From just 8 percent last year to 86 percent as of July 1 , 2016 . Hospitals and CAPS are communicating more transparently and more frequently , and there are more exciting developments on the horizon .
Part of the improvement can be traced to an influx of new staff including GLMS Director of Member & Client Services Jessica Williams . Her leadership and the hard work of the entire CAPS department has shepherded several changes in the CAPS process including :
• PDF fillable peer evaluations for both initials and reappointment
• Monthly meetings with select CAPS clients , and bi-annual meetings for other clients
• Improved reporting to facility clients
Once the process changes were in place through the first three quarters of 2016 , the next focus of the department was to improve customer service and client experience . Those improvements have included :
• Staffing changes to utilize CAPS data for membership / recruitment
• Improved response time to applicant and client questions
• Focused improvement in office culture
“ We ’ ve had a lot of changes and that can be challenging . CAPS is investing in technology and people , and we ’ re going to make this process as painless as possible ,” Guinn said at an informational breakfast for hospital staff held in late June . At that same breakfast , Jessica Williams led guests through the application process step-by-step , emphasizing that communication and attention to detail would make a major difference in how quickly CAPS can finalize an application .
“ There ’ s still room to grow and get better ,” Williams said . “ But we ’ ve fixed the application process and we ’ re excited about the numbers . We ’ re trying to educate clients , physicians and members on what is needed , be more consistent with communication and be proud of the work we ’ re doing .”
Aaron Burch is the communications specialist for the Greater Louisville Medical Society .
• Front-end deficiency reporting for reappointment
• Redesigning the application instructions and FAQ webpages
• Consistent , unified messaging to clients and applicants
• Reporting for credentialing staff to automate the process
• Closing files for deficient applicant items in a timely manner
• In-person meetings for credentialing contacts to understand the new process
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