Qatar doctors visit NCH to learn about credentialing process
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (July 16, 2013) – Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) welcomed several doctors from Qatar who visited the hospital to learn more about the credentialing process and clinical privileges for physicians. On Tuesday, July 2, five physicians from Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar visited NCH and met with a team of NCH medical staff leaders and representatives from the Joint Commission.
The NCH medical staff members discussed how verification of credentials of healthcare practitioners and definitions of their privileges are required, regardless of the size of the organization. The Qatar physicians learned that healthcare facilities have a medical and legal responsibility to conduct a thorough, comprehensive and timely credentialing process.
Hamad Medical Corporation is the premier non-profit healthcare provider in Qatar and has developed medical facilities that provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of diseases that previously only could be managed in overseas medical institutions.
During their visit, the Qatar physicians learned about the process, which includes verification, documentation, and approval of a practitioner’s credentials to practice in a healthcare facility. Following the credentialing and privileges protocols results in increased patient safety, reduction of medical errors, and high-quality healthcare services.
The contingent from Qatar also learned about NCH’s credentials committee’s role and responsibilities in the hospital, how it reviews applications and reappointments, and what the committee considers before making recommendations to the medical executive committee.
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About Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH)
Serving Chicago’s northwest suburbs since 1959, NCH is a comprehensive, patient-centered system of care that serves more than 350,000 outpatients each year, as well as nearly 30,000 inpatients treated annually at the 496-bed acute care hospital in Arlington Heights. The award-winning hospital holds the prestigious Magnet designation for nursing excellence, is designated as a Primary Stroke Center, earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval in 2011, and was awarded the Leapfrog Group’s designation as one of the nation’s Top Hospitals based on quality and safety criteria. NCH has four Immediate Care locations in the northwest suburbs and operates a FastCare Clinic in Palatine. NCH has a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians, which includes the board-certified primary care doctors and specialists of the NCH Medical Group. For more information or to find a doctor on the NCH Medical staff, visit www.nch.org.