Delivery of high quality patient care consistent with currently accepted standards is a goal of all hospitals and health care institutions. Medical/dental staff appointments and clinical privileges in these institutions are always granted on the basis of documented training, education and experience. Credentialing is the process through which the qualifications for specific clinical privileges are confirmed. Hospitals and most health care organizations, including dental services in the U.S. Armed Forces, U.S. Public Health Service, and Veterans Administration, currently have a formal credentialing process in force.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Dental Branch has led the dental education community in this new direction by adopting a formal credentialing process. The same standards of review may be applied to clinical teaching as well as clinical practice; attending faculty assume ultimate responsibility for all patient care provided by students and residents under their direction. Clinical credentialing at the Dental Branch has several advantages, including documentation of clinical faculty qualifications, improved quality of patient care, and improved risk management.

The following factors are to be considered in the granting of clinical privileges: basic education, continuing education and training, current experience, current health status, and current clinical competence and judgment. All of the above should be documented and verifiable. A qualified applicant must submit a completed application and request the specific clinical privileges desired. Privileges are granted by the Associate Dean for Patient Care after recommendation by the Department Chair and reviewed by the Credentials Committee, which is charged by the faculty senate. All faculty and visiting faculty involved in patient care, including clinical teaching, direct patient care, or clinical research, must be credentialed, and must limit their practice to the specific delineation of privileges listing as approved by the Associate Dean for Patient Care.

Recredentialing will be conducted every two (2) years. Evidence of appropriate training and experience should support any request for additional privileges. An appeals process exists to provide due process for resolving disputes regarding denials of clinical privileges, as described in the Corrective Action and Appeals Process for Adverse Credentials Committee Decisions.

In this packet, there are four (4) documents:

1. Credentialing Process

2. Application for Clinical Privleges (form version / word version)

3. Delineation of Clinical Privileges (by departments)

Dental Hygiene (form version / word version ) Endodontics (form version / word version ) General Dentistry (form version / word version ) Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (form version / word version ) Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology (form version / word version ) Orthodontics (form version / word version ) Pediatric Dentistry (form version / word version ) Periodontics (form version / word version ) Prosthodontics (form version / word version )

4. Corrective Action and Appeals Process for Adverse Credentials Committee Decisions

Please review all information in this packet before completing the Application and Delineation of Clinical Privileges.