The emergence and rapid spread of the COVID-19 delta variant have led to a dramatic rise in hospitalizations across the United States. According to the CDC, delta is twice as contagious as previous variants and appears to cause more serious symptoms in unvaccinated patients. Rates of hospitalization are now similar to those seen prior to vaccination efforts.

In response, states like Texas are implementing a series of actions to mitigate rising COVID-19 rates, including seeking out-of-state medical professionals to support overwhelmed hospitals. Doing so runs headlong into medical credentialing protocols, which are typically complex and time-consuming.

Why does credentialing take so long?

Medical credentialing typically takes anywhere from 90 to 120 days — a frustrating wait under normal conditions and untenable when hospitals need immediate assistance. Each healthcare facility has its own credentialing system, which includes a lengthy application form, verification of applicant credentials, and approval from a credentialing committee. Part of the problem lies with delays caused by paper-based processes, which remain prevalent in many hospitals and healthcare facilities.

SEC³URE Ethos — a solution of trust

SEC³URE Ethos is the technology platform by IntelliCentrics that condenses the lengthy credentialing process down to a matter of days, allowing hospitals and healthcare centers to quickly resolve COVID-19 credentialing challenges. But it offers more than rapid credentialing and verification. The platform integrates a facility’s unique policy with credential requirements and provides diligent monitoring, making sure everyone who enters the facility is compliant and can be trusted. It also includes technology services such as scheduling, reporting, contactless check-in, and visitor management, so facilities have total control of who’s onsite, which makes it easy to track and control the spread of COVID-19.

The Savings Pledge

Adding new credentials to a hospital credentialing application adds delays to credential approval.

With SEC³URE Ethos, medical professionals can add credentials directly to their digital files. This way, processing new credentials takes less than four business hours instead of days.

SEC³URE Ethos is a free service to healthcare facilities, which reduces the facility’s cost of physician credentialing by 90 percent. While doctors will pay a small annual fee to be credentialed, we launched our $100 million saving pledge to support healthcare providers combating COVID on the frontline and currently offer them a year of free credentialing. Doing so takes the financial pressure and administrative burden off doctors during the pandemic, so they can focus on patient care, including traveling out of state to provide medical assistance where it’s needed most.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare facilities to find solutions to medical credentialing bottlenecks. SEC³URE Ethos is the first-of-its-kind solution that ensures the compliance of everyone in the spectrum of care on a single, integrated, end-to-end platform.