Vendor credentialing companies have remained busy during the pandemic, and they expect to stay that way even after the worst has passed.
In interviews with nearly 100 providers, GHX/Vendormate found that nearly 88% believe compliance controls will increase, and almost 76% expect all reps or a combination of on/offsite reps will be credentialed, Chrystie Leonard, general manager, credentialing and managed services, told Repertoire in mid-November. “We expect vendor credentialing to expand rapidly due to heightened security requirements and new market norms.”
Throughout the pandemic, GHX/Vendormate worked closely with the American Hospital Association and the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management to vet more than 900 non-traditional PPE vendors, she says. Meanwhile, providers had to make decisions about how they would screen those reps who were allowed into the facilities – primarily those involved in supporting patient care.
In May, AdvaMed, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and AHA released “Re-entry Guidance for Health Care Facilities and Medical Device Representatives” in which they recommended against testing asymptomatic reps for COVID-19.
“Most of our provider customers are currently following this guidance,” Leonard said. “In fact, we recently evaluated more than 200 COVID-19-related health system vendor policies and found only 5% of providers require viral (i.e., molecular or antigen) or serology (i.e. antibody) testing for representatives.”
GHX/Vendormate added COVID-19 screening and several other services and capabilities to its credentialing offerings to help hospitals re-open safely, she said. “Providers have put in place parallel COVID-19 requirements to re-enter their facilities – including badging requirements and wellness screening tests. GHX/Vendormate is working to integrate these elements into our comprehensive badging process to serve as a single solution to establish and implement policies.”
The company introduced a digital wellness screening declaration based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that outline the requirements for representatives to be able to gain access to healthcare facilities. Representatives are prompted to respond to questions on a mobile phone or tablet prior to arriving at a health system facility. Questions include whether the individual has recently been out of the country, whether they have been in contact with anyone who is sick, and whether they are running a fever, she said. “These declarations can be set at the department, facility and/or system level and are based on information GHX has compiled from hundreds of healthcare facility policies within our network,” Leonard said.
Respiratory fit testing
In the pandemic’s early months, GHX/Vendormate introduced a Vendor Access Policy template for healthcare providers to customize and share with vendor representatives. “This gives representatives a document that clearly outlines the provider’s COVID-19 policies so they can better understand what they need to do to re-engage with providers safely and successfully,” Leonard said. The company has continued to update the document throughout the pandemic to adapt to evolving dynamics. Among suggested items included are:
- Appointment policy.
- Pre-screening questions (addressing symptoms that might indicate the coronavirus).
- Hand hygiene requirements.
- Personal protective equipment requirements (department-specific, if possible).
- Respiratory fit testing.
Navigating new and evolving PPE requirements and accessing N95-mask fit testing were among the top challenges among providers who responded to a GHX poll. Consequently, in October, the company announced an arrangement with Mobile Health – a New York-based provider of employee screening and occupational health services – to make respirator fit tests available as part of Vendormate credentialing. “Our relationship with Mobile Health provides our customers guidance on where they can go for mask fit testing and help them return to healthcare facilities to safely resume operations,” said Leonard.
During fit tests, an individual wears a respirator such as an N95 mask, and the tester applies a series of test agents to indicate the level of sensitivity for each candidate, according to a GHX/Vendormate press release. Then a more concentrated agent is used to assess if the mask is properly sealed with the face of the wearer. Results are typically made available via encrypted email either the same day or the following business day. Upon receipt of test results, individuals may upload their attestation that they completed their fit test to their Vendormate profile.
“The arrangement is new, but we have already seen several vendors register for testing,” said Leonard. “The cost for the representatives to get the fit testing depends on the market and location they select. When the representative then visits the provider location, they will be able to work with the provider to get the appropriate mask fitted to their needs.”
Rep visits fluctuate
As of mid-November, hospitals were still limiting vendor visits to essential representatives, said Leonard. “In the short term, virus-related hospitalizations continue to be high, and vaccines in development are not yet available to the general public. As a result, vendor visits fluctuated.”
An analysis of GHX/Vendormate’s badging data found an average of 10,500 visits per weekday prior to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders in mid-March. Such visits dipped to an all-time low during the height of the pandemic in April, to 1,750 visits per workday. But by mid-November, there were approximately 7,500 to 7,700 badging visits per weekday, illustrating a rebound to about three quarters of the norm, she said.