This survey was answered by 205 members from 42 different states and one from outside the
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) is looking at how health care organizations verify the qualifications and competence of non-employees - for example, scrub nurses or technicians who work in offices and accompany the surgeon to the operating room:
1. Are you employed by an ophthalmologist and accompany him/her to a separate health care organization where you would be considered a "non-employee" for the purpose of participating in the direct care of patients?
Yes 23%
No 77%
2. If yes, are you required by that health care organization to meet the same competency requirements as if you were employed by that organization?
Yes 88%
No 12%
Comments explained the range of “credentials” required, from basics (licensure, CPR, fire safety, hepatitis vaccinations, and TB testing) to “full credentialing” which was loosely interpreted as what a hospital employee would need to do and usually included a reference to proving competence. Some were dual employees or agency employees. One COT stated that she was not allowed to give drops, post op instructions, transcribe, or communicate verbal orders, while another respondent described credentialing for “scrub techs” as confirming satisfactory performance and background checks. Another commented that technicianss must go through the same competency requirement as if they were employed by the hospital, but did not describe those parameters. Another stated that a letter from the surgeon “could be” an acceptable alternative to the hospital credentialing requirements because the “scrub tech” worked under the direct supervision of the surgeon and the technician had been credentialed by the surgeon and wondered if anyone else did that.