IL

We are a Critical Access Hospital in Illinois and we are accredited through TJC. We are currently credentialing 40 teleradiologists since the change in TJC processes that now have to follow CMS guidelines for credentialing. This has been a very burdensome process and will continue to be so, even with your proposed changes. The proposed changes do not include the teleradiology groups that are not a"Medicare-participating hospital". We use Virtual Radiology and Online Radiology. They are not a Medicare-participating hospital. They are independent groups that are TJC accredited. Under the TJC rule, we were using the teleradiology groups credentialing file for our own and accepting their process as our own. The new process under CMS has doubled the work my Credentialing Assistant and physicians have to complete. Our Board is looking at 40 physician files today in their meeting to meet the July 15th deadline. What a waste of their time when these physicians have already been approved by their own credentialing department and held to the same TJC rules and regs we are held to. I would like to see non-Medicare participating facility for teleradiology addressed in these proposed changes. At this point, your current proposal doesn't save me, hospital administration, hospital board or the physicians any time or money.