Vendor Credentialing standard open to public comment

The Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) is pleased to announce that Vendor Credentialing standard AS 5182, a project initiated by the MTAA, has progressed to the public comment stage.

Healthcare facilities rely on meeting accreditation standards as an assurance that patients are safe and that their care is of the highest level. Facilities also wish to ensure that vendors visiting their facility adhere to these standards. 

In the last few years third-party vendor credentialing providers in Australia, like in the USA, are independently approaching healthcare facilities to provide a no cost monitoring service, resulting in an ad-hoc and unregulated process where these services are taken up by a facility. Inconsistency is costing companies who may be required to credential their staff with multiple third-party providers and processes in order for one medical company representative (MCR) to gain access to different hospitals.

You can view the draft and any incoming comments here after entering your Standards Hub login details via the Standards Australia website by 15 December 2017.

How did we get here?

Following an MTAA Member Briefing in September 2014, it was recommended that MTAA investigate the establishment of a vendor credentialing standard with Standards Australia. In July 2015 MTAA, representing the Australian MedTech sector, funded Standards Australia to facilitate an industry wide forum to:

• determine the need of an industry standard for vendors entering hospital and patient care settings
• explore possible threats and opportunities and to work with industry stakeholders, hospitals and others to ensure standards are patient need driven, rather than commercially or red tape led
• develop a scope for a new Australian Standard

It was agreed that an Australian Standard was required. MTAA in consultation with key stakeholders then applied for the development of a standard, which was approved on 7 December 2015.

MTAA welcomes Standards Australia’s call for public consultation to the Vendor Credentialing Standard for Healthcare Facilities. This national standard will be a world first, managed and funded by Standards Australia.