CPCS CPCS Locum Tenens and Temporary/Disaster Privileging 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under CMS emergency preparedness rules, disaster privileging allows a hospital to credential practitioners rapidly during a declared emergency. What documentation must the hospital obtain as soon as reasonably practicable?
- DEA registration and malpractice certificate only
- Government-issued photo ID and evidence of current licensure (Correct answer)
- Full primary source verification from all relevant sources
- A signed attestation from the practitioner's home hospital
Correct answer: Government-issued photo ID and evidence of current licensure
During a disaster, CMS requires the hospital to obtain a government-issued photo ID and evidence of current licensure as the minimum documentation for emergency credentialing.
Question 2: The Joint Commission's disaster privileging standards allow a hospital to rely on which document from a practitioner's primary hospital to grant privileges during an emergency?
- The practitioner's malpractice policy
- An identification card issued by a licensed hospital confirming current privileges (Correct answer)
- A letter from the practitioner's medical school
- A state board license verification printout only
Correct answer: An identification card issued by a licensed hospital confirming current privileges
TJC allows hospitals to rely on a current hospital-issued ID card from the practitioner's primary facility as sufficient evidence to grant disaster privileges.
Question 3: How long after the disaster declaration must a hospital complete full primary source verification for practitioners granted emergency privileges under TJC standards?
- 24 hours
- 72 hours
- Within 72 hours or as soon as the immediate situation is under control (Correct answer)
- 30 days after the emergency ends
Correct answer: Within 72 hours or as soon as the immediate situation is under control
TJC requires that full primary source verification be completed within 72 hours or as soon as the situation is no longer an immediate threat to life, whichever comes first.
Question 4: A staffing agency provides locum tenens credentials for a practitioner. What is the hospital's responsibility regarding primary source verification?
- The hospital may rely entirely on the agency's verification without any additional steps
- The hospital remains responsible for primary source verification regardless of agency attestation (Correct answer)
- The agency's CVO accreditation transfers all verification responsibility to the agency
- Primary source verification is only required for permanent staff, not locum tenens
Correct answer: The hospital remains responsible for primary source verification regardless of agency attestation
The hospital retains ultimate responsibility for primary source verification even when using a staffing agency; agency attestations do not replace hospital verification obligations.
Question 5: Which entity's policies typically define the scope of practice for a locum tenens provider placed at a hospital?
- The staffing agency contract exclusively
- The hospital's medical staff bylaws and delineation of privileges (Correct answer)
- The practitioner's home state licensing board
- The locum tenens provider's malpractice insurer
Correct answer: The hospital's medical staff bylaws and delineation of privileges
The hospital's medical staff bylaws and granted delineation of privileges define what the locum tenens provider may do at that facility, not the staffing agency contract.
Question 6: A locum tenens practitioner will practice at a hospital for only two weeks. Is an NPDB query required?
- No, NPDB queries are only required for practitioners seeking permanent appointment
- Yes, NPDB queries are required for any practitioner granted clinical privileges regardless of duration (Correct answer)
- Only if the practitioner is a physician; not required for APPs
- Only if the assignment exceeds 30 days
Correct answer: Yes, NPDB queries are required for any practitioner granted clinical privileges regardless of duration
CMS and accreditation standards require an NPDB query for any practitioner granted clinical privileges, regardless of how brief the assignment is.
CPCS CPCS Locum Tenens and Temporary/Disaster Privileging 2
Under CMS emergency preparedness rules, disaster privileging allows a hospital to credential practitioners rapidly during a declared emergency.
What documentation must the hospital obtain as soon as reasonably practicable?