C4UHC & SMI Joint Press Release: ANSI/NEMA SC 1-2020 American National Standard for Supplier Credentialing in Healthcare
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Christine Dean
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info@C4UHC.org
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CONTACT:
Nancy L. Pakieser
Executive Director, C4UHC Exec.Dir@c4uhc.org
Dover, DE (February 15, 2024): Strategic Marketplace Initiative (SMI), in partnership with C4UHC is advocating for the adoption of ANSI/NEMA SC 1-2020 American National Standard for Supplier Credentialing in Healthcare as an industry best practice.
SMI’s Collaboration Council, co-chaired by Jim Francis, Chair of Supply Chain Management at Mayo Clinic, and Susan Louis, Vice President of Healthcare at Staples, voted in support of the adoption of ANSI/NEMA SC 1-2020 American National Standard for Supplier Credentialing in HealthCare at the Fall 2023 Forum in Nashville, TN. SMI also endorses the use of a verification letter, affirming that a supplier representative has successfully met the national standard.
This endorsement by SMI, marks a significant milestone and advancement in the vendor credentialing process in the healthcare industry, significantly increasing efficiency, transparency, and patient safety. SMI’s support for this standard will have far-reaching implications for healthcare providers, suppliers, and credentialing organizations across the nation.
The ANSI NEMA SC-1 2020 standard for supplier credentialing in healthcare sets a rigorous benchmark for hospital supplier credentialing, creating a comprehensive and standardized framework. By adopting this standard, the healthcare industry sends a resounding message that patient safety, efficiency, and compliance are top priorities and that a standardized approach to supplier credentialing is essential.
Key highlights of this significant development include:
- Enhanced Patient Safety: The ANSI NEMA SC-1 2020 standard for supplier credentialing in healthcare ensures that healthcare suppliers meet stringent national standards for safety, training, competence, health, and administrative requirements to ensure the best possible environment of care.
- Streamlined Credentialing Process: The adoption of a standardized approach streamlines the supplier credentialing process, reducing administrative burden and ensuring that healthcare providers have access to essential products and services promptly.
- Time Savings: By eliminating redundancy and inefficiency in the credentialing process, healthcare providers can expect to realize significant time savings while maintaining a high level of quality control.
- Improved Supplier Relationships: Clear, standardized expectations for suppliers will lead to better communication and stronger relationships, benefiting both healthcare providers and suppliers.
- National Consistency: The ANSI NEMA SC-1 2020 standard for supplier credentialing in healthcare fosters national consistency, ensuring that healthcare facilities across the country can trust that all their suppliers are compliant.
- Verification Letter: The introduction of the verification letter will facilitate efficiency for healthcare providers confirming that a supplier has met the national standards quickly and including assurances from the supplier that all data is accurate and up to date.
- Improved Compliance. Adoption to interoperable standards improves vendor representative’s compliance to credentialing requirements.
Jim Francis, as co-chair of SMI’s Collaboration Council expressed his support for this decision, stating, “This is a significant step forward for healthcare supply chain management. The adoption of the ANSI NEMA SC-1 2020 standard will enhance patient safety and quality while reducing the administrative burden on healthcare providers and suppliers. We collectively encourage suppliers, vendor credentialing organizations, and hospitals/health systems to begin utilizing the standard and the verification letter. It should satisfy most credentialing needs any organization has, recognizing this is a process that will continue to be refined and improved.”
Susan Louis, added, “The verification letter is a simple, easy-to-use and powerful tool that will revolutionize the way we confirm supplier credentials, making the process more efficient and transparent for everyone involved.”
The endorsement from SMI underscores the industry-wide consensus on the importance of this standard. Healthcare providers, suppliers, and vendors are now better positioned than ever to deliver high-quality, safe, and efficient healthcare services to patients nationwide.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact Nancy L. Pakieser, Executive Director, C4UHC at: Exec.Dir@c4uhc.org
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About SMI: SMI provides a nexus for healthcare providers, suppliers, and distributors to network and collaborate on innovations that drive meaningful improvements in supply chain agility, efficiency, and resilience. We provide a unique, non-commercial community where members forge long-term relationships as they work together to improve patient care. For more information about SMI, including a complete list of members, visit: www.smisupplychain.com.
About the SMI Collaboration Council: The SMI Collaboration Council is a coalition of dedicated leaders focused on expanding SMI’s commitment to leading and modeling collaborative, constructive relationships between trading partners. https://www.smisupplychain.com/councils/collaboration.
About C4UHC: The mission of the Consortium for Universal Healthcare Credentialing (C4UHC) is to promote the common business interests of organizations connected with the healthcare industry in order to create and advance American National Standard for Supplier Credentialing in Healthcare for a streamlined healthcare credentialing process, which will protect patient safety and confidentiality, eliminate duplicative efforts and costs, and meet the needs of both healthcare providers and suppliers. https://c4uhc.org/about
About ANSI NEMA SC-1 2020: The ANSI NEMA SC-1 2020 standard for supplier credentialing in healthcare sets the benchmark for hospital supplier credentialing, ensuring that suppliers meet rigorous national standards for safety and quality. This standard plays a crucial role in enhancing patient safety and streamlining healthcare supply chain management. https://c4uhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ANSI-NEMA-SC-1-2020-AsPublished-003.pdf