Hospital Privileging for Family Physicians

As a family physician, you should have access to your patients in all areas of a health care facility – including special/critical care units – through appropriate hospital privileging. The credentialing and privileging process helps to ensure both quality patient care and your ability to provide that care. 

Hospitals have the medical and legal responsibility to conduct a thorough, comprehensive credentialing process and admit privileges in accordance with your individual qualifications (i.e., documented training and/or experience, demonstrated abilities, and current competence).

Your Role in the Process: Step by Step

The information below provides a general overview of the credentialing and privileging process. Note that you will need to read and follow your hospital’s application instructions carefully—the process may differ from the steps outlined below, and from one hospital to another.

Step 1: Understand the Basics

• Credentialing and Privileging FAQs
  Learn the ins and outs of hospital credentialing and privileging with this FAQ.

Step 2: Request an Application Packet and Study the Medical Staff Bylaws

• Medical Staff Bylaws
  Understand the various aspects of medical staff bylaws, which provide the organizational structure and rules of self-governance for medical staff.
• Factors That Impact Hospital Credentialing and Privileging Decisions
  Know the credentialing and privileging requirements that hospitals must meet to provide services to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Step 3: Gather and Submit Your Application Materials

• Steps for Hospital Credentialing and Privileging
  Get a step-by-step guide to the process of applying for hospital credentialing and privileging
• Procedure Tracker
  Log your clinical procedures from a list of family medicine procedures, and export a report to use when seeking privileges or credentialing.

Step 4: In the Event of a Privileging Dispute

• Tips to Help You Prepare for a Privileging Dispute
  Use these questions and answers to help you avoid or prepare for a hospital privilege dispute

See Also

• Privileges at Competing Hospitals
• Privileges, Documentation of Training and Experience
• Privileges, Electrocardiogram Interpretation
• Privileges, Emergency Room Services
• Privileges, Family Medicine Department
• Hospital Medical Staff and Other Health Care Organizations, Board Recertification
• Hospital Medical Staff, Liaison Between Governing Boards
• Hospital Bylaws on Low Volume/No Volume Privileging
• Privileging Policy Statements
• Professional Competence Evaluation
• Privilege Support Protocol
• Privileges and Training for New Procedures
• Cesarean Delivery in Family Medicine (Position Paper)
• Colonoscopy (Position Paper)
• EGD, Training and Credentialing of Family Physicians In (Position Paper)
• Solo Practice Doctors & Small Practice Central
• Electrocardiograms, Family Physician Interpretation (Position Paper)
• Departments of Family Medicine
• Protocol for Establishing a Department of Family Medicine