hira.org

VendorMate Program for HIRA Members Only

Recently, HIRA met with VendorMate to address our concerns about the current credentialing process with VendorMate and the costs associated with payment on an individual hospital basis.  VendorMate was extremely receptive to our concerns and developed the attached program for all HIRA members based on size of your organization. Click Here to View.  

To All HIRA Members

For the past year, HIRA has been active with multiple associations to address the very complex issue of Vendor Credentialing in the hospital market. Although, many Members feel it is an intrusion in our privacy and restrictive to active business opportunities the guidelines set forth are an important process for current business activities in the hospital market. HIRA linked up with a Coalition called IHAC (Innovative Healthcare Access Coalition) to formulate a joint strategy to streamline these guidelines. The attached document is the conclusion of many discussions which addressed all the participants listed. It is a very impressive group of organizations and all had specific needs to address.

The new HCIR guidelines are a starting point for discussion with Hospital Administration, IDN’s and GPO’s to assist in streamlining their requirements and create an awareness of the issues we face in trying to comply with the guidelines.

We look forward to your comments and thoughts as we move forward on this topic. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Regards,

HIRA Board

Healthstream courses with special pricing for HIRA Members:

Package A - $90
AORN Operating Room Protocol
Price: Retail $130
HIRA Members are being offered a 30% discount off the retail price of the program.

HealthStream has partnered with the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) to distribute AORN’s OR Protocol course to prepare healthcare industry sales representatives for visiting operating rooms at healthcare facilities. With 15,000 to 18,000 industry representatives in the United States, many regulatory agencies and professional organizations are paying attention to how healthcare facilities handle sales representatives in the OR. The AORN OR Protocol course is based largely on AORN’s position statement on “The Role of the Health Care Industry Representative in the Operating Room” from its Standards, Recommended Practices and Guidelines. The course provides healthcare industry representatives with comprehensive information to be prepared in their various roles in the perioperative setting.

Healthcare suppliers with multiple sales representatives or trainers may choose to license access to the course for all or part of their staff. HealthStream will provide access to the course, and other courses in its library, to suppliers through a customized version of either "HealthStream Learning Center or "HealthStream Express learning management system. Upon successful completion, certificates of credit and a wallet card are awarded for presentation to healthcare facilities as documentation of training. To maintain certification, a biannual renewal course is required for AORN OR Protocol.

AORN OR Protocol: www.healthstream.com/hlc/hiraorp
Overview: The operating room is a special environment within a health care facility, where surgical procedures are performed on patients to diagnose and treat disease or injury. Because the operating room is a highly restricted area that is subject to many laws, regulations, and professional guidelines, it is critical for health care industry representatives (HCIR) to understand how to work in and around the operating room environment. This online continuing education activity will provide you with the information you need to successfully and safely fulfill your responsibilities in the operating room, while protecting the safety and rights of patients, staff, and yourself. Following the suggestions in this program will also assist you in being accepted as an asset to patients and staff as you give technical support for your product.
 
Package B - $150
AORN Operating Room Protocol
Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens in the Surgical Environment
Price: Retail $250
HIRA Members are being offered a 40% discount off the retail price of the program.

Now for the bundle of courses we have: www.healthstream.com/hlc/hiracombo
AORN OR Protocol, Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens, and HIPAA Privacy and Security for Business Associates
AORN - as listed above.
Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens
Overview: Health care professionals in the surgical environment are at risk of infection with bloodborne pathogens. The degree of infection risk is related to the degree of exposure to blood and body fluids, as well as to potentially contaminated surgical instrumentation and devices. Risk of exposure, in turn, depends upon factors such as the number of patients treated and the types of surgical procedures performed. To control the risks of exposure and infection, those present in the perioperative environment must implement and utilize the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, which mandates the use of Standard Precautions. This online educational activity, for professional nurses and healthcare industry representatives, discusses bloodborne and other infectious disease, transmission of infectious organisms, and the safeguards mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (or OSHA) for all employees at risk for exposure.
 
HIPAA Privacy and Security for Business Associates
Overview: Because you are in the healthcare industry, you are affected by the Administrative Simplification Requirements of HIPAA. You will be working with people who are required by law to follow these rules.  If they do not, they and their facility or practice could be fined or face other punishments. In some cases, you and your company could also be subject to significant liability.
This course will help you comply with HIPAA. You will learn about: Which organizations are covered by HIPAA. The penalties for violating HIPAA. The Administrative Simplification Requirements of HIPAA, and how to comply with them

Joint Best Practices Recommendation for Clinical Health Care Industry Representative Credentialing

The undersigned organizations propose that the following credentialing criteria for the Clinical Health Care Industry Representative (Clinical HCIR) be considered as a national standard to provide the appropriate balance among the goals of patient safety, patient and HCIR privacy, high quality care, immediate access to clinical technology, efficient communication of product information and education (provided by the HCIR) and efficient use of resources by provider institutions and vendors. The credentialing criteria detailed herein do not apply to HCIRs that should not be classified as a Clinical HCIR.

Background

• Presently, no national standard exists for HCIR credentialing.
• Although all stakeholders share the common goals of patient safety and quality care, the current environment subjects HCIRs to widely varying credentialing requirements, resulting in increased costs and administrative burdens which can also impede access to technology, technical support, and educational resources.
• Some existing HCIR credentialing policies impose standards and credentialing requirements that: (i) are duplicative of existing controls, training and screening processes; (ii) are not reasonably related to the duties performed by HCIRs; (iii) compromise the privacy rights of HCIRs and/or are implemented without assurances that sufficient safeguards, per state and/or federal privacy regulations, are in place; (iv) are inconsistent with existing contractual obligations; and/or (v) are inconsistent with FDA adverse event reporting requirements.

The attached criteria for Clinical HCIR Credentialing represent the joint best practices recommendation of the following organizations:

• Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
• Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM)
• Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN)
• Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA)
• Health Industry Representatives Association (HIRA)
• Healthcare Manufacturers Management Council (HMMC)
• Independent Medical Manufacturer Distributors Association (IMDA)
• Industry Partners for Patient Safety (IPPS)
• Innovative Healthcare Access Coalition (IHAC)
• Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA)

Feedback concerning this proposal is welcome to advance the dialogue concerning HCIR credentialing and enhance best practices and may be submitted to any of the above associations. Alternatively, comments may be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

March 9, 2009 – Recommended Clinical HCIR Credentialing Criteria

After a thorough review of numerous current hospital Health Care Industry Representative (HCIR) credentialing requirements, and, in conjunction with the objective of creating realistic, meaningful and comprehensive HCIR credentialing requirements, the following credentialing elements are recommended for the Clinical HCIR (individuals who represent a company or companies in the immediate vicinity of patient care, such as a surgical procedure or cardiac catheterization).

Health Vaccinations - Statement from the HCIR’s employer (hereinafter, “Company”) or HCIR attesting: performance of TB test (annually); that the Hepatitis B vaccine was offered per OSHA standard; Mumps, Measles, Rubella (MMR) immunity or documentation of 2 doses of the MMR vaccine and evidence of varicella immunity or 2 doses of the adult varicella vaccine. Privacy concerns dictate that these records should be handled and maintained by the Company and/or HCIR.

• Product and/or General Liability Insurance - Company policy for HCIR coverage—statement of liability insurance letter - OR - certificate of liability insurance. This includes limits of liability coverage and dates of coverage. No personal liability coverage, liability waiver or personal indemnity should be sought by the hospital/health system.
• Background Verification - Letter from Company attesting that background verification was performed for each representative upon hire*. Typically this includes: criminal background check; healthcare sanctions (OIG exclusion, FDA and GSA debarment); Prohibited parties (SDN); sex offender registry; and Drug screen per state regulations* (*various state laws prohibit drug screens in certain instances). Privacy concerns dictate that these records should be handled and maintained by the Company and/or HCIR.
• Hospital Unit Orientation/Policies and Procedures - If appropriate, unit orientation with procedural area should be conducted and documented by the hospital (e.g., if appropriate, OR protocol, Procedure Suite protocol, ED protocol, and/or ICU protocol). If there are hospital rules and policies related to appointments, check-in processes and/or other requirements (e.g., knowledge of emergency procedures), these policies and procedures should be communicated and observed.
• Training Documentation - Letter from the company verifying that training was successfully completed by the HCIR in the following areas: 
  • Device/Procedure-Specific Training;
  • HIPAA / Patient Confidentiality & Privacy training;
  • Conduct Policies and Procedures- - letter from Company verifying training and/or stating that Company requires a HCIR to be trained  on policies and procedures consistent with a nationally recognized applicable industry code of ethics such as the AdvaMed Code of Ethics;
  • OSHA/Blood Borne Pathogens;
    and if appropriate:
    • Sterile/Aseptic Control; and/or
    • Radiation safety.

In our experience, the interests of patients are not advanced by the types of credentialing policies that request HCIR Personal Identification Information: social security, driver’s license, passport number, job performance reviews, credit checks and resumes. This is an inefficient and ineffective way to protect patient safety and it unnecessarily invades the privacy of HCIRs. A coordinated credentialing process, which takes place in advance of a HCIR visit and encourages hospitals to institute a policy of reciprocity, saves resources throughout the health care system.