How Medical Staff Officers Can Streamline Credentialing with Assured

Why outdated credentialing processes cost MSOs millions in lost revenue

Recently, I had a conversation with Sarah, an MSO at a growing health system managing a 35-provider merger. She shared a story that might sound familiar to many in healthcare administration.

"Our CEO called me about our new anesthesiologist," she told me. "He wanted to know why Dr. Reynolds couldn't start seeing patients the following week when we'd been recruiting him for months."

Sarah's reality was challenging: incomplete provider files, pending certificates, and a steadily growing verification backlog. Her team was already working evenings and weekends, with several compliance audit requests awaiting attention.

The financial implications were significant. Their anesthesiologist, who could generate approximately $14,000 daily (based on MGMA data), remained credentialed for 57 days. That translated to over $800,000 in potential lost revenue, not to mention dozens of rescheduled surgeries affecting both patients and staff.

Sarah's experience reflects what many MSOs face today. But there is a better approach.

What if your credentialing team could:

• Reduce credentialing time from 3-4 months to just 48 hours?
• Recover $1.5–$2 million annually in a 300-provider network?
• Eliminate 75% of manual verification tasks?
• Ensure compliance across all required verification sources?
• Maintain normal working hours and reduce staff stress?

This transformation is possible with Assured. With implementation taking just 72 hours, organizations like yours are already experiencing these results.

Hidden costs of manual credentialing processes

Hidden costs of manual Credentialing

Let's examine the challenges facing today's MSOs:

1. Financial impact of credentialing delays

The standard credentialing timeline of 90-120 days creates significant financial pressure:

• Lost Revenue: Each specialist in the credentialing process represents potential daily revenue, up to $14,000, that cannot be realized. Meanwhile, salary costs continue. For a 300-provider network with just 10% experiencing delays, this can mean millions in unrealized annual revenue.
  
  
• Operational Disruption: Empty schedules, postponed procedures, and increased workload for existing providers create cascading problems throughout the organization.
  

MSOs often find themselves managing these administrative tasks while leadership asks about revenue-generation timelines.

2. Compliance risks and consequences

Compliance oversight can have serious consequences:

• Regulatory Penalties: HIPAA violations can result in penalties up to $50,000 per occurrence, with annual maximums of $1.5 million per category.
  
  
• Accreditation Concerns: Issues with CMS, Joint Commission, or NCQA compliance can impact both reputation and reimbursement eligibility.
  
  
• Insurance Verification: Payer contracts typically require proper credentialing; lapses can create contractual problems.
  
  
• Patient Safety Considerations: The fundamental purpose of credentialing—ensuring provider qualifications—directly relates to patient safety.
  

Preparing for regulatory surveys often requires additional hours and creates added stress for the credentialing team.

3. Staff workload and retention

Credentialing teams experiencing high workloads often face retention challenges. The pattern is familiar: increasing volume leads to processing delays, which creates additional pressure and contributes to staff turnover. When experienced team members leave, institutional knowledge is lost, requiring time for training replacements.

Incremental improvements to existing processes often provide limited relief. A more comprehensive approach is needed.

The Assured solution: Transforming credentialing

Assured offers a complete provider data management solution specifically designed for healthcare credentialing requirements. Unlike generic workflow systems adapted for healthcare or legacy platforms requiring extensive maintenance, Assured addresses the unique challenges MSOs face.

Implementation takes just 72 hours, enabling faster credentialing, streamlined onboarding, and simplified compliance management without requiring overtime.

"Assured has been pivotal to our market expansion," says Matthew Milford, Founder of Arche. "They've helped us get in-network quickly while giving us full visibility into the process. This has allowed us to scale across multiple states with remarkable speed and efficiency."

1. Effective automation

Assured is an NCQA-certified solution that leverages automation for Primary Source Verification, with comprehensive CAQH integrations that minimize manual intervention. Unlike basic credentialing databases, Assured actively verifies credentials from primary sources, significantly reducing processing time.

The verification process includes:

1. Secure Data Collection: A portal with completion tracking helps prevent delays from incomplete submissions and clearly shows what information remains outstanding.
   
   
2. Intelligent Information Retrieval: Options for manual entry or automated data retrieval from CAQH, NPPES, DEA, and state medical boards reduce errors by up to 85%.
   
   
3. Automated Verification: The system verifies education, licensure, board certifications, and employment history directly from primary sources.
   
   
4. Status Monitoring: A dashboard provides real-time application tracking and sends alerts when action is required.
   

This approach reduces manual verification tasks by 80%, allowing your team to focus on complex cases that require professional judgment.

2. Accelerated timeframes

With Assured, the standard industry credentialing timeline of 90-120 days can be reduced to approximately 48 hours, a 97% improvement that fundamentally changes the onboarding process.

Key factors enabling this improvement include:

• Automated Verification: Streamlined credential validation, NPDB checks, and document verification without typical processing delays.
  
  
• Effective Integrations: CAQH connectivity that reliably transfers data the first time.
  
  
• Continuous Monitoring: System oversight ensures no application steps remain unaddressed.
  

This acceleration means providers begin practice within days rather than months, allowing organizations to realize revenue more quickly and minimize disruption to patient care.

3. Proactive compliance management

Assured transforms compliance monitoring from a reactive process to a proactive system:

• Comprehensive Source Monitoring: Real-time tracking of over 1,900 verification sources, including OIG/SAM checks.
  
  
• Timely Alerts: Notifying potential issues within 24 hours provides adequate time to address concerns before they become problems.
  
  
• Regulatory Alignment: Pre-configured for HIPAA, CMS, Joint Commission, and NCQA requirements.
  

While some systems provide periodic monitoring, Assured's continuous approach ensures organizations remain audit-ready at all times.

4. Scalable growth support

Traditional credentialing systems often become more expensive as organizations grow. Assured's approach becomes more cost-effective with scale, supporting everything from small practices to large health systems:

• Revenue Realization: Reducing typical delays saves approximately $840,000 in potential revenue per specialist.
  
  
• Staffing Efficiency: One team member can effectively manage 240+ providers, doubling standard ratios.
  
  
• Multi-State Capabilities: Licensing management across all 50 states is approximately 40% faster than conventional methods.
  

Organizations experiencing growth can maintain quality and compliance without proportional increases in administrative staffing.

5. User-friendly provider experience

Assured creates a streamlined experience for providers:

• Simplified Data Entry: CAQH and DEA integrations reduce manual entry by approximately 70%.
  
  
• Customized Workflows: Tailored processes that align with your organization's specific requirements.
  
  
• Reduced Application Time: Provider application completion time decreases from approximately 30 minutes to 10 minutes.
  

A positive onboarding experience enhances provider satisfaction and supports recruitment and retention efforts.

Real credentialing results: $1.5M+ annual savings and 48-hour processing

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Transform your credentialing process with Assured

Credentialing delays impact revenue, create compliance concerns, and add unnecessary stress for your team. While partial improvements can help, Assured offers a comprehensive solution implemented in just 72 hours.

When you schedule a complimentary strategy session, you'll receive:

• A customized ROI assessment for your organization
• Implementation guidance specific to your situation
• Priority scheduling to accelerate your transformation

With healthcare organizations expanding and regulatory requirements increasing, modernizing credentialing processes isn't just beneficial—it's essential for operational excellence.

Transform your credentialing process to improve revenue capture, strengthen compliance, and create a more sustainable workflow for your team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Assured accommodate our growing network? We'll be adding 200+ providers next year.
Yes, Assured is designed for scalability. We support organizations ranging from small practices to large systems with thousands of providers. Many clients effectively manage expanding networks without additional administrative resources.

What's the realistic implementation timeline?
Our standard implementation takes 72 hours from agreement to a live system. Once operational, providers can be credentialed in as little as 48 hours.

How will our providers respond to a new system?
Providers consistently appreciate the reduced administrative burden. The streamlined 10-minute application process is well-received even by those who typically resist technology changes. Implementation includes support resources for providers who need assistance.

How does the system handle multi-state credentialing requirements?
Assured manages all 50 states with their varying requirements. The system processes multi-state licensing approximately 40% faster than traditional methods while maintaining compliance with each state's specific regulations.