Exercise of privileges

Any faculty who provides clinical services at the Center for Eye Care may exercise only those privileges granted and emergency privileges.

Framework for privileging

Certain clinical processes are appropriate clinical activities for a full range of faculty, whereas other clinical activities require additional credentials that specify the appropriate faculty to perform the service.

Delineation of clinical privileges

Delineation of clinical privileges requires fair and consistent analysis of whether each faculty's education, training, experience, and clinical competence match the particular procedures requested to perform and the conditions seeking to treat.

The Center for Eye Care has taken a two tiered approach to delineating privileges - the core privileging approach and the laundry list approach. The core privileging approach uses predefined criteria with a realistic, well-defined description of core privileges for each procedure or condition for treatment, based on but not solely determined by licensure. The core set of clinical activities that any appropriately trained faculty would be competent to perform.

The laundry list privileging system requires faculty to indicate the clinical conditions or procedures for which they have been thoroughly trained and for which their qualifications are based on appropriate education, experience and clinical outcome. These are considered special requests that require individual applications with predefined criteria for each privilege that outline specific education, training, and experience requirements.

Basis for delineation of privileges

The Center will consider a request for clinical privileges only when the request includes evidence of education, training, experience, and demonstrated current competence. The Center will evaluate valid requests for clinical privileges on the basis of prior and continuing education; training; experience; utilization practice patterns; current ability to perform the privileges requested; and demonstrated current competence, ability, and judgment.

Emergency privileges

In an emergency situation, a faculty member is authorized to do everything possible-to the degree permitted by license, but regardless of staff category or level of privileges-to save a patient from serious harm to the eyes or visual system. Any faculty who exercises emergency privileges is obligated to summon all consultative assistance deemed necessary and to arrange appropriate follow-up. When an emergency situation no longer exists, the practitioner must request the privileges he or she needs to continue to treat the patient.