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Penrod Blog

How Long Does Credentialing Take?

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Written by Matt Fiel on January 16, 2025

Most estimates put the typical credentialing process at around 90-120 days in order to get physicians in front of patients. Why so long? The steps involved are complicated.

Credential a Physician with AI

Everything seems to take longer in a world dominated by short attention spans and instant access. However, physician credentialing is objectively a long process, often taking up to 120 days to complete.

There are a variety of reasons the credentialing process takes so long...let's take a look at them.

Application

Physicians need to submit all of their documentation to kick the process off. If the forms and processes aren't user friendly, this process can take a huge chunk of time. Further delays often happen if a physician misses documentation or forgets to fill in certain details.

Verification

Once the application is submitted, a credentialing team needs to verify what the physician submitted against primary sources to verify education, state licenses, federal licenses, work histories, and more. Many of these verifications are manual, involving a laborious process of logging into separate systems and comparing inconsistent documents.

Coordination

Once verification is complete, coordination must happen between multiple internal and external organizations. Key stakeholders manage these relationships over email. Let's face it, that means physicians, credentialing specialists, and board members will miss important details.

Regulatory Compliance

Like all things in healthcare, the entire credentialing process also involves a component of compliance...and for good reason. Patient safety begins with physician quality, and The Joint Commission and NCQA want to ensure that. However, it adds complexity and time to the credentialing process.

Documentation Issues

Documentation only partially filled out, inaccurate, or inconsistent leads to further delays. Minor errors can set off a chain of events that require physicians and credentialing staff hours of back-and-forth communication. This further delays the entire process.

About The Author

With over 15 years of experience in marketing strategy, web development, and creative design, I lead the marketing team at Penrod, a boutique Salesforce partner focused on the healthcare and life sciences industry. As a Salesforce Certified Consultant, I have deep knowledge and skills in leveraging the platform to optimize marketing automation, lead generation, and customer engagement.


Matt Fiel
EVP of Marketing

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