(410 ILCS 517/15)

Sec. 15. Development and use of uniform health care and hospital credentials forms.

(a) The Department shall by rule establish:

(1) a uniform health care credentials form that shall include the credentials data commonly requested by health care entities and health care plans for purposes of credentialing and shall minimize the need for the collection of additional credentials data;

(2) a uniform health care recredentials form that shall include the credentials data commonly requested by health care entities and health care plans for purposes of recredentialing and shall minimize the need for the collection of additional credentials data;

(3) a uniform hospital credentials form that shall include the credentials data commonly requested by hospitals for purposes of credentialing and shall minimize the need for the collection of additional credentials data;

(4) a uniform hospital recredentials form that shall include the credentials data commonly requested by hospitals for purposes of recredentialing and shall minimize the need for collection of additional credentials data; and

(5) uniform updating forms.

The forms described in this subsection may be prescribed in a print format, electronic format, or both as provided by the Department.

(b) The uniform forms established by the Department under this Section shall be coordinated to reduce the need to provide redundant information. Further, the forms shall be made available in both paper and electronic formats upon request and in the format requested.

(c) The Department shall establish by rule a process for the submittal of forms in an electronic format with required content for a health care entity, a health care plan, or a hospital, and a health care professional may require acceptance of forms in an electronic format by a health care entity, a health care plan, or a hospital.

(d) Beginning January 1, 2002, each health care entity or health care plan that employs, contracts with, or allows health care professionals to provide medical or health care services and requires health care professionals to be credentialed or recredentialed shall for purposes of collecting credentials data only require:

(1) the uniform health care credentials form;

(2) the uniform health care recredentials form;

(3) the uniform updating forms;

(4) any additional credentials data requested; and

(5) an online credential with required content as required by forms under this Section.

(e) Beginning January 1, 2002, each hospital that employs, contracts with, or allows health care professionals to provide medical or health care services and requires health care professionals to be credentialed or recredentialed shall for purposes of collecting credentials data only require:

(1) the uniform hospital credentials form;

(2) the uniform hospital recredentials form;

(3) the uniform updating forms;

(4) any additional credentials data requested; and

(5) an online credential with required content as required by forms under this Section.

(f) Each health care entity and health care plan shall complete the process of verifying a health care professional's credentials data in a timely fashion and shall complete the process of credentialing or recredentialing of the health care professional within 60 days after submission of all credentials data and completion of verification of the credentials data.

(g) Each health care professional shall provide any corrections, updates, and modifications to his or her credentials data to ensure that all credentials data on the health care professional remains current. Such corrections, updates, and modifications shall be provided within 5 business days for State health care professional license revocation, federal Drug Enforcement Agency license revocation, Medicare or Medicaid sanctions, revocation of hospital privileges, any lapse in professional liability coverage required by a health care entity, health care plan, or hospital, or conviction of a felony, and within 45 days for any other change in the information from the date the health care professional knew of the change. All updates shall be made on the uniform updating forms prescribed by the Department.

(h) Any credentials data collected or obtained by the health care entity, health care plan, or hospital shall be confidential, as provided by law, and otherwise may not be redisclosed without written consent of the health care professional, except that in any proceeding to challenge credentialing or recredentialing, or in any judicial review, the claim of confidentiality shall not be invoked to deny a health care professional, health care entity, health care plan, or hospital access to or use of credentials data. Nothing in this Section prevents a health care entity, health care plan, or hospital from disclosing any credentials data to its officers, directors, employees, agents, subcontractors, medical staff members, any committee of the health care entity, health care plan, or hospital involved in the credentialing process, or accreditation bodies or licensing agencies. However, any redisclosure of credentials data contrary to this Section is prohibited.

(i) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to restrict the right of any health care entity, health care plan or hospital to request additional information necessary for credentialing or recredentialing.

(j) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to restrict in any way the authority of any health care entity, health care plan or hospital to approve, suspend or deny an application for hospital staff membership, clinical privileges, or managed care network participation.

(k) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit delegation of credentialing and recredentialing activities as long as the delegated entity follows the requirements set forth in this Act.

(l) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require any health care entity or health care plan to credential or survey any health care professional.

(m) Nothing in this Act prohibits a hospital from granting disaster privileges pursuant to the provisions of Section 10.4 of the Hospital Licensing Act. When a hospital grants disaster privileges pursuant to Section 10.4 of the Hospital Licensing Act, that hospital is not required to collect credentials data pursuant to this Act.

(Source: P.A. 103-436, eff. 8-4-23.)