Synergy - July/August 2013 - 28

namss focus

Are You Participating in NAMSS PASS™?
By Amy Wade, CPMSM, CPCS

A

s	you	are	reading	this	article,	we	
hope	that	you	have	become	familiar	
with	NAMSS	Practitioner	Affiliation	
Sharing	Source™	(PASS)	and	have	started	
participating	in	this	exciting	repository	of	
practitioners’	affiliation	history.	If	you	are	
not	yet	a	participant,	we	hope	that	this	
article	will	provide	answers	to	some	of	your	
questions,	which	probably	are	similar	to	
the	questions	we	have	heard	expressed	at	
various	meetings	where	we	have	presented	
NAMSS	PASS™.
First,	we	are	so	excited	that	NAMSS	PASS™	
has	become	a	reality,	as	this	database	has	been	
a	dream	and	a	goal	in	the	NAMSS	strategic	
plan	for	several	years.	The	number	of	users	
continues	to	increase	toward	our	ultimate	
goal	of	getting	every	hospital,	surgery	center,	
group	medical	practice,	health	plan	and	other	
related	healthcare	entity	(HCE)	to	participate.	
The	more	everyone	participates,	the	more	
comprehensive	the	database	will	be	for	the	
end	users:	medical	services	professionals	
(MSPs).	How	awesome	to	be	able	to	go	to	one	
location	(NAMSS	PASS™)	and	do	a	primary	
source	verification	and	obtain	an	affiliation	
history	and	gap	analysis	on	a	physician	
applying	for	medical	staff	membership	and	
privileges	at	your	facility.	Before	NAMSS	
PASS™,	it	could	sometimes	take	an	MSP	
days	and	even	weeks	to	receive	an	affiliation	

verification	after	mailing,	faxing	or	emailing	
requests	to	multiple	facilities.	By	using	NAMSS	
PASS™,	the	process	can	become	more	
efficient	and	cost-effective	for	MSPs,	especially	
when	investigating	those	practitioners	who	
have	a	history	of	practicing	for	many	years	
and	in	many	different	locations.
I	would	like	to	address	some	prevalent	
misconceptions	that	have	been	heard	during	
our	presentations	at	various	meetings.	
One	of	those	is	that	NAMSS	PASS™	will	
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SYNERGY July /A ugust 2013

Our goal is to get every healthcare entity (HCE)
to participate in this exciting endeavor that is
becoming a very valuable resource to all MSPs.
address	competencies.	NAMSS	PASS™	may	
provide	a	letter	of	good	standing	(according	
to	the	Health	Care	Quality	Improvement	
Act	(HCQIA)	definition)	and	an	affiliation	
history	and	gap	analysis,	but	it	does	not	
provide	competency	information.	With	
various	peer	review	protections	afforded	
by	individual	states,	NAMSS	has	not	yet	
accomplished	having	a	national	repository	to	
house	competency	information.	However,	
by	providing	the	verified	affiliation	history,	
a	gap	analysis	is	available	to	the	MSP,	which	
could	potentially	lead	to	a	“red	flag”	that	
would	prompt	the	MSP	to	pursue	further	
the	issue	of	competency	directly	with	the	
primary	source	hospital.	While	NAMSS	
PASS™	verifies	the	affiliations,	MSPs	should	
still	obtain	competency	information	by	
requesting	peer	reference	letters	from	the	
practitioner’s	most	recent	affiliations.	
Another	common	misconception	is	that	
healthcare	entities	(HCEs)	will	need	to	revise	
their	bylaws	and	create	a	separate	release/

authorization	for	physicians	to	sign	before	
they	can	participate	in	NAMSS	PASS™.	
There	is	no	need	to	revise	the	bylaws	or	
create	a	separate	signed	release/authorization	
to	participate	in	NAMSS	PASS™.	The	NAMSS	
PASS™	is	a	tool	to	streamline	and	improve	
the	process	of	verifying	affiliation	history;	
it	does	not	change	the	information	already	
being	shared	between	organizations.	With	
regard	to	a	release,	most	application	forms	
already	include	a	release,	disclosure	and	

acknowledgement	section	with	language	that	
states	the	practitioner	gives	consent	for	the	
hospital	to	retrieve	as	well	as	disclose	their	
information	as	a	part	of	the	credentialing	and	
recredentialing	process.	In	other	words,	you	
already	have	their	permission	and	it	should	
already	be	covered	in	your	medical	staff	
bylaws	under	your	credentialing	procedures.
Another	question	is	with	regard	to	the	
uploading	of	past	practitioners	that	have	
left	your	facility.	HCEs	are	encouraged	to	
upload	past	practitioners	and	can	even	
elect	to	provide	a	third	letter,	called	the	
“Perpetual	Letter,”	as	an	option.	The	letter	
provides	data	that	was	current	at	the	time	of	
the	practitioner	leaving	your	facility,	as	you	
obviously	cannot	attest	to	what	happened	
after	that	time.	Use	this	feature	when	you	
want	to	export	data	from	an	old/legacy	
system	that	is	no	longer	updated.	You	can	
upload	the	file	once	and	will	not	need	to	
worry	about	keeping	it	up	to	date	because	
the	information	does	not	change.
While	these	are	just	a	few	of	the	questions	
and/or	comments	we	have	heard,	I	encourage	
you	to	visit	the	NAMSS	website	for	additional	
information	on	NAMSS	PASS™.	The	list	of	
FAQs	is	very	comprehensive	and	is	updated	
regularly	as	we	hear	from	you.	You	can	also	
review	a	video	that	discusses	the	NAMSS	
PASS™	and	other	valuable	resources	on	the	
website.	Our	goal	is	to	get	every	healthcare	
entity	(HCE)	to	participate	in	this	exciting	
endeavor	that	is	becoming	a	very	valuable	
resource	to	all	MSPs!	■

Amy Wade, BA, CPMSM, CPCS, is the director of
medical staff services and director of human
resources at Community Hospital and Northwest
Surgical Hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
She has worked in medical staff and credentialing
services for the past 21 years.
http://www.namss.org/NAMSSPASS/tabid/425/Default.aspx http://www.namss.org/
Synergy - July/August 2013

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