Medical Staff and Telemedicine: Meeting CMS CoPs (W6006)-Medical Staff and Telemedicine: Meeting CMS CoPs Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The session introduces Laura Dixon, a registered nurse and attorney with extensive risk management and patient safety leadership experience, to discuss CMS requirements for medical staff and telemedicine in both acute care and critical access hospitals (CAHs). Dixon emphasizes the material is informational, not legal advice, and that state law—especially scope of practice for advanced practice providers (APPs)—drives many decisions.<br /><br />Key themes include CMS survey focus areas that commonly generate citations: practicing outside scope, lack of credentialing/privileging and competency assessment (typically at least every 24 months), failure to follow bylaws/policies, inadequate history and physicals (H&Ps), and weak medical staff oversight of quality. Governing bodies must ensure medical staff accountability for quality of care, approve bylaws and revisions, and maintain structured consultation with medical staff leadership.<br /><br />Hospitals may include non-physician practitioners on medical staff if permitted by state law, but must provide credentialing, privileging, and ongoing oversight. Bylaws must define categories of practitioners, privileges, competency criteria beyond board certification alone, due process protections, and clear standards for H&Ps (including required authentication when performed by APPs). CAHs have additional supervision and record-review expectations for APP practice, with policies defining review intervals and physician availability.<br /><br />Telemedicine rules are largely consistent across hospital types. Hospitals may use “proxy credentialing” by relying on a distant-site hospital or entity’s credentialing/privileging if a written agreement meets CMS conditions, includes licensure in the patient’s state, and requires performance feedback, including adverse events and complaints. The presentation closes with practical contracting considerations and telehealth resource links.

Keywords

CMS requirements

medical staff bylaws

telemedicine compliance

acute care hospitals

critical access hospitals (CAHs)

risk management

patient safety

credentialing and privileging

proxy credentialing

advanced practice providers (APPs) scope of practice

competency assessment (24 months)

history and physical (H&P) documentation