Hospital privileges are the formal authorization granted by a healthcare facility, such as a hospital or surgery center, that permits a physician to use its resources and treat patients within its walls. This authorization details the exact services the doctor is allowed to perform, including admitting patients, performing surgeries, or providing specialized consultation. Verifying a doctor’s privilege status ensures the provider can offer a complete range of care, especially if inpatient treatment or a procedure is possible. Granting privileges is a rigorous internal quality control measure that helps assure patient safety by verifying the doctor’s competency and professional history.
Asking the Source: Direct Verification
The most immediate way to confirm a doctor’s affiliations is by making direct inquiries. Start by contacting the doctor’s private office or practice manager and asking for a list of hospitals where the physician holds privileges. This conversation confirms which local facilities the doctor is actively associated with. It is helpful to ask specifically about the level of privileges held, such as whether they can admit patients under their own name or if they primarily practice in an outpatient setting.
A more authoritative confirmation comes from contacting the hospital directly where the doctor claims to practice. Every hospital maintains a Medical Staff Office that manages the credentialing and privileging process. A call to this office, or the patient relations department, can confirm the doctor’s active status and the general scope of their practice there. Hospital staff can typically confirm that the physician is an active member of their medical staff with defined practice rights, though they may not provide detailed internal documents.
Official Verification Through Public Records
For a formal and independently verified account of a doctor’s standing, public records and official databases are necessary. The first resource to check is the State Medical Licensing Board where the physician practices. These state boards maintain public-facing search tools that allow patients to verify a doctor’s current licensure status, educational background, and any disciplinary actions. While the board’s primary function is to verify the license to practice medicine, some state profiles may include information on hospital affiliations, though this is often self-reported.
Credentialing organizations also offer verification for components that contribute to privileging, such as board certification. Organizations like the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) provide online verification tools to confirm a doctor’s current board certification status. Since board certification is a standard requirement for obtaining and maintaining most hospital privileges, confirming this status adds assurance about the doctor’s qualifications. Search these official systems using the doctor’s name or National Provider Identifier (NPI) number to get a confirmed status separate from the doctor’s or hospital’s immediate claim.
Interpreting Privilege Status and Limitations
Understanding the different types of hospital privileges is important for correctly interpreting the information found. Admitting privileges, sometimes called active privileges, grant the doctor the right to admit patients directly to the hospital and manage their care throughout the stay. This is the highest level of involvement and is common for specialists like surgeons and cardiologists. Surgical privileges are separate, authorizing a doctor to perform specific procedures in the operating rooms or procedural areas.
A doctor may also hold courtesy privileges, which are limited and allow them to occasionally admit a patient or communicate with hospital staff about existing patients admitted by another physician. These privileges are often used by doctors who do not frequently require hospital resources. Similarly, consulting privileges are granted to specialists who only provide expert advice on a case without overseeing the patient’s admission or discharge.
It is increasingly common for a doctor to have no admitting privileges at a local hospital, which does not necessarily reflect negatively on their competence. With the rise of hospitalists—physicians who specialize in managing care for hospitalized patients—many primary care physicians now rely on the hospitalist team to admit and manage their patients. This means the patient’s outpatient doctor manages their care outside the hospital, while the hospitalist manages it during the inpatient stay. This is a common model of modern medical practice.