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Tired of filling out multiple credentialing forms? Help's on the way

Illinois physicians are the latest to benefit from the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare's effort to simplify the credentialing process. No matter how many health plans a physician affiliates with, he need only submit information one time—either online or by fax, in accordance with state law.

The service is free to physicians, but participating health care organizations pay an annual per physician/provider fee for unlimited access to completed records, as well as a small annual administrative fee to offset system maintenance and customer service requirements. Each health care organization reviews and verifies credentialing data, and decides independently whether a physician meets its standards for participation.

The data collected is made available only to health care organizations that have been authorized by each physician, and the organizations are automatically notified when a physician's information changes.

The service first launched in Colorado and Virginia in 2002, and it is also available in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, DC. CAQH, a nonprofit coalition of the nation's largest health plans and insurers, plans to expand nationwide this year. (See "Credentialing made easy," Apr. 11, 2003.)

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