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Indian Health Service: Improvements Needed in Credentialing Temporary Physicians

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date April 21, 1995
Report No. HEHS-95-46
Subject
Summary:

Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities, which provide medical care to more than one million American Indians and Alaskan Natives, supplement their staffs with temporary physicians. But weak policies have led IHS to unknowingly hire doctors who have been disciplined for such offenses as gross and repeated malpractice and unprofessional conduct. IHS does not explicitly require verifying all active and inactive state medical licenses that a temporary physician may have. Further, most IHS facilities that have contracts with companies that supply temporary physicians do not require the companies to inform IHS of the status of all medical licenses a physician may hold. In addition, IHS facilities do not have a formal system for sharing information on temporary physicians who have worked within the IHS medical system. This report also discusses what happens when requested medical services are delayed.

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