CLINICAL COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT RESOURCES

The Referral Process

How to Refer a Physician
Referral for an assessment can occur in many ways. The referring agency, the physician, or the physician's counsel can contact an assessment program to make the referral.

Information Requested when Referring a Physician for Assessment
The following information may be requested from the referring agency at the time of a referral for assessment:

• Reason for referral for assessment
• Additional concerns (e.g., disruptive behavior, sexual misconduct issues)
• Compliance timeframe mandated for assessment, including deadline (if any) for receipt of the assessment outcome report
• Status of investigation or action
• Brief history of interactions(s) with referring entity
• Known practice distracters or more global issues
• Other markers and indicators (e.g., medical board actions, hospital actions, malpractice suits)

Scheduling an Assessment
After receipt of any necessary intake materials and fees, staff at the assessment center will contact the physician to identify and confirm assessment dates.

Deadlines and Timeframe

Deadline: The time from physician enrollment to the release of the assessment outcome report to the referring agency is generally a seven to nine week process:

• Allow three to four weeks after the physician submits the required materials to schedule the assessment;
• The assessment is conducted onsite at the assessment center program and may take one to two days, depending on the physician's specialty and level of assessment required;
• Allow an additional three to four weeks after the assessment is completed for development of the assessment outcome report.

Timeframe: Assessment programs collaborating with the Post-Licensure Assessment System (PLAS) are committed to making every effort to meet deadlines set by the referring agency. To ensure an efficient process:

• Notify the assessment center of any key dates (deadlines or meetings) as early as possible in the referral process;
• It is helpful to be specific about due dates for submission of materials for scheduled agency meetings.

Encouraging Compliance and a Timely Assessment
In our experience, physician-participants are more likely to contact an assessment program and enroll in an assessment within a timely manner when the referring agency provides them with a written timetable (please refer to Sample Language for Mandating a Clinical Competence Assessment for suggestions).