As you recruit physicians to your area to join your practice, or work while you are on vacation, you need to know the process a physician must go through to obtain a license in this state and understand the reasons the process should be followed.

The licensure process in the State of Arkansas is two-fold, it is for licensure and future credentialing purposes. Arkansas is unique in that the Board operates a credentials verification organization (CVO) from the Medical Board office. This CVO, called Centralized Credentials Verification Service (CCVS) requires, by state law, that all physicians and credentialing organizations utilize this service. The information collected on each physician at the time of licensure significantly reduces the credentialing time needed for hospitals and insurance companies to credential physicians for their staff or network. Licensure is the first step of credentialing for the CCVS program. Upon licensure, physicians’ credentials are automatically transferred to the CCVS department and updated in preparation of being provided to any hospital, insurance company, HMO or other credentialing organization when the physician submits a written authorization to release.

By law, the CCVS program must maintain certification by the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA). The CCVS requested and received certification in eight of ten elements offered by NCQA in the initial survey in 2001, has maintained certification in those elements in subsequent surveys and is considered in good standing at this time. This program also meets the standards set out by Joint Commission as required by many hospitals and surgery centers.

Meeting the survey requirements of NCQA and the standards of Joint Commission requires the Board to collect data direct