Medical staff lawyers or lawyers for doctors are legal professionals who specialize in healthcare laws and regulations. They provide legal advice and representation to medical staff members, including physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers. One of the key roles of medical staff lawyers is in hospital credentialing and privileging. In this article, we will discuss the role played by medical staff lawyers in hospitals and other medical institutions.
They Assist with Hospital Credentialing
Hospital credentialing is the process by which hospitals review and verify the qualifications and credentials of medical staff members who want to provide patient care at the hospital. Medical staff lawyers assist hospitals in developing and implementing credentialing policies and procedures that comply with legal and regulatory requirements. They also provide legal advice on credentialing issues, such as the appropriate level of scrutiny for different types of healthcare providers, and represent hospitals in legal disputes related to credentialing decisions.
They Assist with Hospital Privileging
Hospital privileging is the process by which hospitals grant specific clinical privileges to medical staff members based on their qualifications and experience. Medical staff lawyer assist hospitals in developing and implementing privileging policies and procedures that comply with legal and regulatory requirements. They also provide legal advice on privileging issues, such as the appropriate level of scrutiny for different types of clinical privileges, and represent hospitals in legal disputes related to privileging decisions.
They Provide Legal Advice on Regulations
Lawyers for doctors also deal with state and federal regulations that govern hospital credentialing and privileging, including Medicare and Medicaid regulations. They provide legal advice on compliance issues and represent hospitals and medical staff members in cases of regulatory violations or investigations.
They Assist with Peer Review
Lawyers for doctors also assist in hospital peer review processes. Peer review is the process by which medical staff members evaluate the clinical performance of their colleagues. Lawyers help in developing and implementing peer review policies and procedures that comply with legal and regulatory requirements. They also represent staff members in legal disputes related to peer review decisions.
The same legal skills used to represent hospitals as noted above are used to represent the physicians who are being credentialed. The physician has more need of the attorney because he is alone by himself against the system. The medical staff that is doing the credentialing has the bureaucracy and history working on his/her behalf. The physician who is facing the bureaucracy is one man/woman who does not normally have history on his or her side. Often the bureaucracy is filled with competitors who smile at the physician being credentialed as they slowly slip their scalpel into the back of he who is being credentialed. No wonder a physician seeking hospital or other privileges needs as healthcare lawyer to assist him/her. Attorney Kenneth Haber, the principal of the Law Office of Kenneth Joel Haber, P.C., is ready to stand with you are you face such a credentialing bureaucracy and walk you through it. Call for a no-obligation consultation at 301-670-0016.
