By: Megan Paauwe, MBA-HM
Medical Services and Credentialing Professionals have long been an essential part of the U.S. healthcare system. As the landscape of healthcare has evolved over time, so has the role and function of MSPs. Today’s MSPs have more career opportunities available than ever before. While most career resources for MSPs focus on more typical roles (such as Coordinators, Specialists, Managers, and Directors), this series will highlight a few seasoned MSPs whose career paths have taken less-traditional routes.
Amy Campbell, CPCS is the co-owner and founder of Gatekeeping Partners, a credentialing services provider that offers custom privileging, licensing, enrollment, consulting, and full provider credentialing data management services to hospitals, health systems, provider groups, and Management Services Organizations. Acorn Credentialing is proud to collaborate with Gatekeeping Partners as their technology solution for credentialing, privileging, and provider enrollment. Gatekeeping Partners’ top-notch, fully industry-compliant services pair perfectly with Acorn Credentialing’s streamlined and efficient platform, and together they provide clients with the ultimate credentialing solution. Read more below to gain insight into Amy’s unique career path and her advice to other MSPs.
Please briefly describe your role at Gatekeeping Partners and the types of services GKP provides.
“I am the Chief Operations Officer and Co-Owner of Gatekeeping Partners. I manage the day-to-day workflow and expectations of our clients and our team of specialists. Gatekeeping Partners provides services related to provider enrollment, credentialing, privileging, state licensing, and provider data management.”
What roles in Medical Staff Services/Credentialing did you work in prior to Gatekeeping Partners?
“I worked as a Director of Medical Staff Services and Director of Credentialing from 2012 until 2016. In the role as a director, I restructured credentialing departments, hired and trained credentialing specialists, managed accrediting body surveys, created policies, and workflows, and implemented technology with automation into a previously manual process. I started Gatekeeping Partners 2016-2017 when I was approached by several physicians requesting assistance in facilitating credentialing applications, state license applications, and enrollment/network status. Gatekeeping Partners was officially incorporated in 2017.”
What led you to start Gatekeeping Partners?
“I had been working with several physicians that I knew from my previous positions on their credentialing and enrollment on my own. By 2016, I felt that I had sufficient nationwide experience with multiple accrediting bodies and types of applications to begin developing my own protocols and efficiencies. I enjoy mentoring specialists and I really wanted to lead a team that I could invest in and mentor in this healthcare space.”
How does operating Gatekeeping Partners differ from working in a more traditional Medical Staff/Payer Enrollment role?
“As a business owner, I am able to compensate my team fairly, reward them with incentives, and invest in their professional development. This was not possible in my previous leadership roles, as an employee. I believe that many organizations do not show appreciation to professionals in this field. There is a lack of support from the top. Many times, specialists in our profession are managed by high-level executives that do not understand or respect the credentialing, enrollment, and licensing process. I wanted us to be different.”
Based on your experience, what skills are necessary to be successful in starting your own business in the credentialing space?
“A person who wishes to start a business in the credentialing and enrollment space must have tenacity and ambition. They must have excellent written and verbal communication with a working knowledge of the basics for both credentialing and enrollment, human resources, and IT.”
What in your past education and/or experience has helped you specifically to be successful with Gatekeeping Partners?
“I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration. Those courses gave me a solid background in the field, especially healthcare enrollment. My experience with accreditation and the survey process while working in Medical Staff Offices enhanced my interpretation and understanding of the standards and regulations that govern what we do every day in the field. In 2015 I obtained my certification as a Certified Provider Credentialing Specialist from NAMSS. Becoming certified strengthened my confidence to continue on the path to owning my own business. In 2019 I completed my Master’s degree in Education and Instructional Design. The opportunity to complete this course of study has helped me achieve two goals: First, I am able to manage our clients’ expectations through presentations and learning platforms by educating them on the process of credentialing and enrollment. Second, it gave me the skills to create content and learning strategies for my team, here at Gatekeeping.”
How did Gatekeeping Partners become involved with Acorn Credentialing?
“When Gatekeeping Partners got its first few clients, we began searching for a reliable database that could efficiently manage our client’s data, while providing a transparent platform for progress tracking. Our team of experienced credentialing and enrollment specialists shared firm opinions about what products were challenging to navigate and cumbersome. We all agreed after the first demo of the Acorn platform that it was the best solution for us. We appreciated that Acorn did and has always listened to our feedback and included us in the enhancement process and discussion.”
What do you like most about owning your own business?
“I like that I have a team of employees that feel respected, heard, and valued. I enjoy that I get to be a part of the teaching process and demonstrate to our team and clients how important the work we do is in healthcare.”
What are your biggest challenges with running Gatekeeping Partners?
“The lack of knowledge and patience from a client on the subject of credentialing and enrollment can sometimes be challenging. We do not usually secure a client whose credentialing and enrollment processes are efficient. Clients can be in a hurry to get their credentialing and enrollment issues resolved and they are often unaware of how many steps are needed to accomplish the resolution. It takes time to rebuild a credentialing and enrollment department.”
What do you wish you’d known before starting Gatekeeping Partners?
“I wish I would have had more knowledge of human resources and information technology. Our business and our team grew very quickly. It would have been ideal to have had the time to devote to these two areas at inception. With a fully remote team, spread out across the country we are learning how to better balance employment laws and time zones to better serve our team.”
Would you recommend this career path to other people in the Medical Staff Services/Credentialing profession, and why or why not?
“Absolutely. I think our profession is seldom appreciated. However, I think it is a necessary part of patient care and compliance. Specialists who share this opinion can make a difference. I support anyone with a strong sense of self and determination to move forward. It has not been easy and we have experienced many ups and downs since we started, but I am proud of our product, which is our service. I am proud of the work we do every day.”
To learn more about Gatekeeping Partners and inquire about their services, visit www.gatekeepingpartners.com. Learn what Acorn’s credentialing experts can do for you, and book a live demo to see the power of Acorn in action by visiting www.acorncredentialing.com/book-a-demo.
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