Which credentialing function involves assessing provider performance and quality?

Ongoing professional practice evaluation (OPPE) is the process that specifically focuses on assessing the performance and quality of healthcare providers after they have been granted privileges. This ongoing evaluation is essential because it helps healthcare organizations identify any issues in provider performance, ensure adherence to standards of care, and promote continuous improvement.

Through OPPE, organizations can regularly review various aspects of a provider’s clinical performance, including patient outcomes, and practice patterns, in order to enhance patient safety and quality of care. This function is unique as it goes beyond initial credentialing to create a systematic method of monitoring and evaluating providers throughout their tenure.

Other options, while important in the credentialing process, do not specifically focus on the continuous assessment of performance and quality. For example, initial application processing relates to the initial verification of a provider’s qualifications and credentials, while peer review evaluations typically involve evaluations conducted by a provider's colleagues rather than ongoing assessments of performance. Employment verification checks are focused on confirming a provider's employment history and credentials, rather than assessing current provider performance.