Newhouse Introduces Bill to Reform Tribal Healthcare Credentialing

Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) introduced the Uniform Credentials for IHS Providers Act. This legislation amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act for the development and implementation of a centralized system to credential licensed health professionals who seek to provide health care services at any Indian Health Service unit.

“Due to a lack of a standardized credentialing system for tribal healthcare professionals, our Native American population is struggling to receive appropriate care,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse.

Newhouse continues, “The current system has led to a backlog in onboarding new providers, which has caused those interested in working for IHS to pursue opportunities elsewhere. There have also been numerous incidents where healthcare professionals with histories of malpractice claims have bypassed the guardrails put in place to make sure medical professionals are just that—professionals. The IHS is receiving taxpayer dollars to fund their operation, and it is my priority to ensure those resources are not wasted. By creating a centralized system, we can establish a standard for tribes and ensure that providers at IHS facilities are vetted in an efficient and proper manner.” 

Click here to read the full letter of support from Jarred-Michael Erickson, Chairman of the Colville Business Council.

Background:

To provide patients with the highest level of care at its federally operated facilities, the IHS, which is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Native American Tribes, reviews and verifies professional qualifications of clinicians through a process known as credentialing and privileging. Currently, IHS requirements are spread across multiple, sometimes conflicting, documents, making it challenging for officials to efficiently credential incoming providers.

The lack of a centralized credentialing system has negatively affected IHS recruitment efforts by delaying the process in which doctors get credentialed. The slow pace of the process is a result of the lack of a centralized credentialing system and has caused doctors who have been recruited to work in these facilities to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

Further, existing IHS oversight is concentrated at the local level and does not routinely include headquarters' reviews of clinicians' files for adherence with IHS requirements. Until it ensures clinicians are appropriately screened, IHS risks hiring or retaining clinicians with performance, health, or other issues, potentially affecting the quality of care provided to patients and putting them at risk. 

The IHS has also documented various incidents in which health professionals with histories of malpractice claims have passed screenings that failed to identify performance, health, or other issues. The lack of a centralized, uniform, service-wide credentialing system has been identified as a cause. This bill would require the establishment of a standardized system to improve the efficiency of the credentialing process, maintain health professional quality and quality of care, as well as ensure that health professionals at IHS facilities are vetted thoroughly.

Click here to read the full bill text.

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