Healthcare Credentialing

Written by the NextCrew team

In healthcare staffing, the credential file is often the slowest part of a placement. A facility will not let a clinician start until the file is complete and verified. The agency that keeps its Crew Members' files current, rather than building them from scratch for every order, submits first and starts first.

What is included in healthcare credentialing?

• License. Active, unrestricted, for the state of the assignment, verified with the source.
• Certifications. BLS, ACLS, PALS and specialty certifications, current for the whole assignment.
• Education and experience. Degree, specialty experience and skills checklists.
• Background and screening. Criminal background, exclusion list checks and drug screening where required.
• Health records. Immunizations, TB testing and other facility requirements.
• Facility-specific items. Orientation modules, attestations and forms each facility asks for.

What is the credentialing process for a staffing agency?

1. 1
   Collect

   Gather documents at application and onboarding, ideally in one package.

2. 2
   Verify

   Confirm licenses and certifications with their primary sources, and record the result.

3. 3
   Match to the facility

   Compare the file against the facility's checklist and fill the gaps.

4. 4
   Submit

   Send the complete file with the candidate, in the format the facility or MSP requires.

5. 5
   Maintain

   Track every expiration and re-verify before it lapses, so the next placement does not start from zero.

What is the difference between credentialing and privileging?

Credentialing confirms a clinician's qualifications; privileging decides what they may do at a particular facility. Privileging applies mainly to physicians and advanced practitioners. For most agency nurses and allied staff, the facility's concern is a complete, verified credential file and facility orientation.

Where agencies lose time in credentialing

• Rebuilding files for every order. Documents already collected get requested again.
• Expired items found at submission. A certification that lapsed last month stops the placement.
• Copies instead of verification. A photo of a license is not proof it is active. See primary source verification.
• Different checklists per facility. Without a checklist per client, gaps appear only when the facility rejects the file.

How NextCrew handles credentialing

• Onboarding write-back. As onboarding forms are completed, licenses and certifications flow into the Crew Member's profile automatically.
• Nursys verification. RN and LPN license status, disciplinary flags and compact eligibility are verified through Nursys and stored on the profile.
• Expiry tracking and alerts. Every expiration date is tracked; the Crew Member is reminded on their phone and the agency is notified, with a 30, 60 or 90-day expiring-credentials view.
• Credentialed-only jobs. The Verified job privacy setting shows a job only to credentialed Crew.
• Required attachments. License and certification types can require a document before the record saves.

See healthcare staffing software and the Nursys integration.

Frequently asked questions

Related terms

• Primary source verification: the verification step inside credentialing.
• Credentials verification organization (CVO): a company that performs verification for others.
• I-9 reverification: work authorization, another date to track.
• Time to fill: the metric slow credentialing stretches.
• PBJ reporting: the CMS staffing-hours report nursing homes file, including agency hours.