Physicians or other licensed practitioners who are responsible for the care, treatment, and s...

(1)

When telemedicine services are furnished to the hospital's patients through an agreement with a distant-site hospital or telemedicine entity, the governing body of the originating hospital may choose to rely upon the credentialing and privileging decisions made by the distant-site hospital or telemedicine entity for the individual distant-site physicians and other licensed practitioners providing such services if the hospital's governing body includes all of the following provisions in its written agreement with the distant-site hospital or telemedicine entity: - The distant site telemedicine entity provides services in accordance with contract service requirements. - The distant-site telemedicine entity's medical staff credentialing and privileging process and standards is consistent with the hospital’s process and standards, at a minimum. - The distant-site hospital providing the telemedicine services is a Medicare-participating hospital. - The individual distant-site physician or other licensed practitioner is privileged at the distant-site hospital or telemedicine entity providing the telemedicine services, and the distant-site hospital or telemedicine entity provides a current list of the distant-site physician's or practitioner's privileges at the distant-site hospital or telemedicine entity. - The individual distant-site physician or other licensed practitioner holds a license issued or recognized by the state in which the hospital whose patients are receiving the telemedicine services is located. - For distant-site physicians or other licensed practitioners privileged by the originating hospital, the originating hospital internally reviews services provided by the distant-site physician or other licensed practitioner and sends the distant-site hospital or telemedicine entity information for use in the periodic evaluation of the practitioner. At a minimum, this information includes adverse events that result from the telemedicine services provided by the distant-site physician or other licensed practitioner to the hospital's patients and complaints the hospital has received about the distant-site physician or other licensed practitioner. Note: For hospitals that use Joint Commission accreditation for deemed status purposes: The distant-site telemedicine entity’s medical staff credentialing and privileging process and standards at least meet the standards at 42 CFR 482.12(a)(1) through (a)(7) and 482.22(a)(1) through (a)(2). (See also MS.14.01.01, EP 2)