A Guide to Point-of-Care Ultrasound Credentialing in Family Medicine

MEGAN LYKKE; MARK DEUTCHMAN; AARON INOUYE; KYLE BURKHAMER; HANK BRAND

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Jul / Aug 2026

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A Guide to Point-of-Care Ultrasound Credentialing in Family Medicine

MEGAN LYKKE, MD, FAAFP

MARK DEUTCHMAN, MD, FAAFP

AARON INOUYE, PA-C

KYLE BURKHAMER, PA-C

HANK BRAND, MS2, 2LT

FPM. 2026;33(4):10-13.

Author disclosures: Aaron Inouye disclosed that he is an independent contractor for Global Ultrasound Institute and Acute Care Ultrasound and was a paid speaker for a 2025 POCUS webinar hosted by Vave Health. No other relevant financial relationships.

This content conforms to AAFP criteria for CME.

Whether you are navigating your organization's POCUS credentialing process or trying to establish one, three elements are key: training, scope of practice, and quality review.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly integrated into family medicine as training opportunities expand and residency programs graduate physicians with longitudinal ultrasound experience. Still, many physicians in established practice may be uncertain about how to incorporate POCUS, particularly when it comes to credentialing. Understanding how credentialing works can help family physicians preserve and expand their scope of care while meeting (or establishing) local institutional requirements.

KEY POINTS

Becoming credentialed for POCUS creates a pathway to integrate it into everyday practice.
Successful credentialing programs define required training, scope of practice (broad use vs. specific uses of the procedure), and ongoing quality review.
Data on community need and reimbursement potential can help convince administrators to adopt POCUS, while ongoing data on patient outcomes and payment can help make programs sustainable.

CREDENTIALING BASICS

Credentialing is the structured process by which an organization verifies a physician's education, training, experience, current competence, and licensure to provide services.¹ It is usually administered locally, but there are exceptions, such as large, multi-location or even multi-state organizations that have system-wide credentialing. Even in these settings, it is feasible for primary care physicians to develop local credentialing pathways, though it may require additional administrative support.

Credentialing is different than certification. Certification requires training through an external, often national, organization. While certification may help document competency, it is neither required nor sufficient for POCUS credentialing in most organizations.

Clinicians in private practice generally have no formal credentialing requirements for procedures allowed within their scope of care under state law — including POCUS — unless their liability insurance carrier specifies otherwise. But employed clinicians cede some control over their scope of practice to their employers. Employers may restrict certain procedures, including POCUS, to specific types of clinicians. Becoming credentialed for POCUS creates a pathway to integrate it into everyday practice and to bill for it. Billing is often key to demonstrating the value of POCUS to employers and justifying equipment purchases and clinician time.

But it's not just about billing. POCUS is now widely recognized as a tool that improves access to care, diagnostic efficiency, procedural safety, and patient satisfaction.^2,3 Robust credentialing processes ensure clinicians can deploy this tool safely, protecting patients and maintaining practice standards.

CORE COMPONENTS OF A POCUS CREDENTIALING PATHWAY

POCUS credentialing requirements vary widely by organization. But three elements are key: training, scope of practice, and quality review. (See Table 1 for a starter checklist.)

Before you start	□ Identify which POCUS applications to target (e.g., AAA or obstetric ultrasound). □ Identify local stakeholders (administrators, IT staff, and other specialists). □ Identify a local POCUS champion.
Design the credentialing pathway	□ Define acceptable training standards. □ Define the scope of practice (broad use vs. specific uses of the procedure). □ Define initial and ongoing image quality review processes.
Prepare your case	□ Determine patient volume and unmet need. □ Determine CPT codes and potential revenue. □ Determine equipment and maintenance costs. □ Determine how to add billing for POCUS.
Engage stakeholders	□ Engage with medical staff leadership. □ Engage with relevant specialties (e.g., radiology and obstetrics-gynecology) while maintaining your own responsibility for credentialing and quality assurance. □ Engage with IT for equipment purchase, image storage, and EHR integration. □ Engage with medical staff for approval.
Implement and monitor	□ Create or join a POCUS subcommittee to oversee the credentialing program. □ Schedule regular image review for the subcommittee. □ Track patient outcomes and financial metrics.

Dr. Lykke is assistant professor of family medicine and Dr. Deutchman is associate dean for rural health at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

Aaron Inouye is an orthopedic physician assistant at Intermountain Health in Grand Junction, Colo.

Kyle Burkhamer is a physician assistant in the emergency departments of Mayo Clinic Health System locations in Barron and Menomonie, Wisc.

Hank Brand is a medical student at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

Send comments to fpmedit@aafp.org, or add your comments to the article online.

1.How to obtain credentials and privileges. American Academy of Family Physicians. Accessed May 20, 2026. https://www.aafp.org/life-and-career/privileging-and-credentialing/steps-to-hospital-credentialing
2.Dancel R, Schnobrich D, Puri N, et al. Recommendations on the use of ultrasound guidance for adult thoracentesis: a position statement of the society of hospital medicine. J Hosp Med. 2018;13(2):126-135.
3.Kasitinon D, Williams R, Peraka V, Özçakar L, Jain NB. Accuracy and efficacy of intra-articular knee injections/aspirations under ultrasound versus landmark guidance: a systematic review. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2026;105(1):1-11.
4.Howard ZD, Noble VE, Marill KA, et al. Bedside ultrasound maximizes patient satisfaction. J Emerg Med. 2014;46(1):46-53.
5.Russ B, Arthur J, Lewis Z, Snead G. A review of lawsuits related to point-of-care emergency ultrasound applications. J Emerg Med. 2022;63(5):661-672.