BackgroundBaptist Health is a nonprofit health system located in Northeast Florida that includes five Magnet-accredited hospitals, home health agencies, health practices behavioral health, pharmacies and numerous general and specialist medical practices. As one of the largest healthcare providers in the region, physicians have the opportunity to practice in state-of-the-art facilities and affiliate with a community hospital. As of February 2014, Baptist Health has more than 1,400 physicians practicing in more than 70 specialties and nearly 300 allied health professionals. According to an annual National Research Corporation study of Jacksonville-area residents, “Baptist Health ranks first in the Best Doctors, Best Nurses, Best Quality, and Best Reputation categories” (Baptist Health, 2014). In order to support medical staff and allied health professionals, most institutions have a medical staff services department or a medical staff office (MSO). Although composed of various professionals, this department is managed under the leadership of a Director of Medical Staff Services with the support of credentialing specialists, medical staff coordinators, institutional review board coordinator, continuing medical education coordinator, etc. (See Appendix A for more information on Baptist Health's MSO Organizational Chart.) These individuals provide administrative support to Baptist Health medical staff and provide an avenue for communication of medical staff-related issues. The responsibilities of a medical personnel office include, but are not limited to, credentialing, reappointments, peer review, continuing medical education, committee facilitation, and maintenance of regulatory documents in… half of document... the process begins. While this information provides an overview of the credentialing process, some topics were not mentioned due to confidentiality concerns (see Appendix B for additional information on the Medical Staff Office Credentialing Workflow Chart). ReferencesBaptist Health. (2014). Who we are. Baptist Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.baptistjax.com/about-usGantt.com. (2012). What is a Gantt chart? Gantt.com. Retrieved from http://www.gantt.com/HealthLine Systems Inc. (2014). Web-based credentialing software: EchoCredentialing. HealthLine Systems Inc. Retrieved from http://www.healthlinesystems.com/echocredentialing.aspxMcCormack, M. (2014). The Lean Medical Practice: Using Value Stream Mapping to Improve Workflow. The profitable practice. Retrieved from http://profitable-practice.softwareadvice.com/value-stream-mapping-to-improve-workflow-0114/