How healthcare staffing groups handle credentialing today

How it works today

Each provider needs 30 to 50 documents, and each one has its own expiration date and renewal rules. Most groups manage this with Excel and a shared Google Drive.

Providers email their documents as PDFs. A coordinator types the details into a spreadsheet and saves the files to a shared drive, often with inconsistent file names. The spreadsheet holds every license number, expiration date, and file location.

Each week, the coordinator reviews the spreadsheet to find credentials that are about to expire, then calls or texts providers for updated documents. When a file looks complete, it goes to a CVO, which often sends it back because a document is missing or an employment gap isn't explained.

What it costs

Coordinators spend 60 to 70 percent of their time on data entry and manual tracking, which leaves little time to improve the process or the provider experience.

Manual work adds 4 to 8 weeks before a new provider can start. A provider who bills $8,000 to $15,000 a week represents $32,000 to $60,000 in lost revenue for each month of delay. For a group hiring 20 providers a year, that adds up to $640,000 to $2.4 million.

Expired credentials are usually found during an audit or a CVO submission. By then, the provider may already have worked shifts with a lapsed credential.

Providers get frustrated when they are asked for the same documents again, when uploads go missing, or when the requirements are unclear. Some leave for other groups, and replacing a physician costs $150,000 to $300,000.

Why it hasn't changed

Many groups see the paperwork as part of the job and don't expect it to get easier.

General HR tools like BambooHR, Workday, and Gusto aren't built for healthcare. They can't adjust credential requirements by credentialing body or track CVO submissions, so groups keep a separate spreadsheet next to software they don't really use.

Enterprise credentialing software such as Symplr and CredentialStream is built for hospitals. It takes 6 to 12 months to implement and includes many features staffing groups don't need.

What staffing groups need

A credentialing system for a staffing group should cover the full process in one place:

• An online application for providers that reads their CV and checks entries as they type
• Credential requirements set automatically by credentialing body and provider type
• Text reminders 90, 60, and 30 days before a credential expires
• A live view of missing, expiring, and expired credentials
• Tracking for CVO submissions and Credentials Committee deadlines
• A full history of every upload, expiration, and renewal

Summary

Spreadsheet-based credentialing gets harder as a group grows. A system built for this work can cut administrative time by 50 to 70 percent, shorten time to start by 4 to 8 weeks, and catch expiring credentials before they lapse.

Describe handles credentialing alongside scheduling and payroll for healthcare staffing groups.