Managing the Summer Credentialing Surge

Summer brings warm weather, sunshine, and backyard barbecues. But it also brings a surge in credentialing workload that can result in costly delays for healthcare organizations. Each May, a new wave of medical school graduates is ready to enter the workforce. If your organization isn’t prepared for this credentialing summer surge, it can create a bottleneck that extends the credentialing process, resulting in limited provider availability and lost revenue.

It’s not just the volume of credentialing tasks that cause delays. Many new grads take summer vacations or unplug post graduation, making it challenging for credentialing specialists to get a hold of – thus slowing down the process further. Plus, credentialing staffs might have a vacation or two planned!

These delays can really add up. It’s estimated that healthcare organizations lose $10,000 per day, per provider who is unable to practice. But it doesn’t have to be this way! With the right technology, support, and streamlined approach, credentialing specialists can navigate the warm-weather influx with confidence and ease. Keep reading and I’ll share how you can avoid letting the credentialing summer surge slow your operations down.

Be Prepared for the Credentialing Summer Surge

The key to managing the summer credentialing rush is preparation. Without a proactive approach, delays can quickly spiral, leading to provider shortages, compliance risks, and revenue disruptions.

Start Early: Begin gathering provider information and verifications as early as possible. Waiting until the last minute increases the likelihood of missing documents, incomplete applications, and delays. Proactively reaching out to providers and setting deadlines for submissions can help streamline the process and prevent avoidable bottlenecks.

Set Clear Expectations: If credentialing specialists don’t have the information they need when they need it, providers won’t be cleared to practice on time. Communicate expectations regarding requirements and deadlines upfront. Encouraging early and thorough participation from new hires ensures a smoother process.

Embrace Technology: Technology can transform credentialing from a time-consuming process into a seamless workflow. Plus, implementing credentialing technology is easier than many organizations expect, and the benefits — faster turnaround times, improved compliance, and reduced stress — far outweigh the effort.

How Credentialing Technology Reduces Delays

1. Automation

One of the most effective ways to relieve administrative burden, protect revenue, and improve your credentialing process is through automation. Traditional or outdated approaches are only going to bog down the process and create more work for an already-busy staff. Technology-driven automation helps organizations process provider applications faster by reducing data entry and eliminating repetitive tasks.

Automated features like license verification, exclusions monitoring, deadline reminders, and credentialing packet compilation eliminate costly delays and allow credentialing specialists to focus on other high-priority tasks. Automation not only speeds up the process but also minimizes the risk of human error, which is crucial during peak periods.

Additionally, automated workflows and reminders keep the process moving, even when providers are difficult to reach. With automated notifications and reminders, your staff can keep moving forward without constant manual follow-ups.

In such a fast-paced environment, efficiency isn’t just a luxury — it’s a necessity. Don’t shy away from automated capabilities; embrace them!

2. Centralizing Provider Data

If there’s one thing for certain with credentialing, it’s the extensive amount of information and documentation that comes with it. Without an integrated system, data can quickly become scattered, outdated, or difficult to track — leading to delays and inefficiencies.

Centralizing all credentialing information in a single, secure platform like MedTrainer eliminates the chaos of scattered documents and outdated records. Real-time access to provider enrollment status, verifications, and compliance records gives credentialing teams and decision-makers the visibility they need to stay ahead.

This also includes live dashboards and custom reporting. Having a clear, real-time view of critical deadlines, expired licenses, and enrollment statuses helps you avoid potential issues, ensure compliance, and create communication and trust with your organization’s leaders. When multiple credentialing tasks pile up at once, having a clear, up-to-date snapshot makes all the difference.

3. Streamlined Compliance Checks

Maintaining compliance is a complex, ongoing responsibility — one that becomes even more challenging during a credentialing surge. The risk of errors and oversights increases when credentialing teams are overwhelmed, making a streamlined process a necessity rather than a convenience.

Automating key checks like primary source verification and continuous OIG/SAM exclusion monitoring ensures every provider meets regulatory standards without constant manual inspection or risks of oversight. With real-time compliance monitoring, organizations can stay ahead of potential issues, reduce administrative burden, and ensure that no provider slips through the cracks.

Staying Ahead During Peak Periods

The summer credentialing surge doesn’t have to mean delays, stress, and lost revenue. By embracing automation, centralizing credentialing data, and streamlining compliance checks, healthcare organizations can navigate this busy season with efficiency and confidence.

MedTrainer is designed to help healthcare organizations transform their credentialing process, resulting in quicker turnaround times, lighter administrative loads, less risks, and money in your pockets. See how MedTrainer creates a strategic advantage that keeps healthcare organizations ahead of the surge and beyond.