"What is an MSSP?" and "Why are they important?"

An "MSSP" is a professional whose main objective is to protect the public from fraudulent healthcare practitioners and assist genuine, well-trained healthcare practitioners in providing top quality services.

"MSSP" is an acronym referring to "Medical Staff and Provider Services Professionals".

An "MSSP" normally works as a liaison between the doctors, dentists, podiatrists, and many other healthcare professionals and the administrative personnel within hospitals, ambulatory clinics/surgery centers, managed care organizations, health maintenance organizations, physician management groups, and many other healthcare entities.

The "MSSP" is the person who receives a healthcare provider's application requesting staff membership and/or clinical privileges in order to see patients within a specific healthcare setting. Once the application is submitted to the entity, the "MSSP" reviews the application for completion, then begins the process of verifying the information provided on the application.

Verification of the information is requested from every school the applicant has attended; every previous place of employment or affiliation; licensing boards from every state where they have practiced their profession; insurance companies which have issued coverage during their practice tenure; and professional peer references.

In addition, to the verification of applicant information, the "MSSP" attends numerous meetings involving review of quality improvement data and assists in analysis of that information for implementation of process improvement. The "MSSP" is responsible for review and implementation of various federal rulings and accrediting body standards pertaining to the functions of the medical staff and/or provider staff. The "MSSP" must maintain a knowledge of legal proceedings that may affect the functioning of the medical staff within their specific provider setting.

As you can see, the "MSSP" profession can be very challenging. The "National Association of Medical Staff Services" (NAMSS) offers two certifications which may be utilized by the "MSSP", as well as their employer, to measure the individual's knowledge of their profession. The "Certified Professionals in Medical Services Management" (CPMSM) and the "Certified Provider Credentialing Specialist" (CPCS) for more information regarding these certifications, please check the the NAMSS website.