Economic Credentialing, ,

In the 1990s, hospital management and trustees introduced the concept of evaluating physicians for appointment, reappointment, and privilege delineation with the addition of financial criteria. Although emergency physicians are advocates for cost-effective care, they must make certain that credentials are determined by the provision of quality medical care, and that if economic criteria are used, the criteria chosen truly reflect quality of care. [Schafermeyer RW: Economic credentialing. Ann Emerg Med December 1997; 30:759-764.]