By December 31, 2010, the lead organization shall:

     (1) Develop a uniform electronic process for collecting and transmitting the necessary provider-supplied data to support credentialing, admitting privileges, and other related processes that:

     (a) Reduces the administrative burden on providers;

     (b) Improves the quality and timeliness of information for hospitals and payors;

     (c) Is interoperable with other relevant systems;

     (d) Enables use of the data by authorized participants for other related applications; and

     (e) Serves as the sole source of credentialing information required by hospitals and payors from providers for data elements included in the electronic process, except this shall not prohibit:

     (i) A hospital, payor, or other credentialing entity subject to the requirements of this section from seeking clarification of information obtained through use of the uniform electronic process, if such clarification is reasonably necessary to complete the credentialing process; or

     (ii) A hospital, payor, other credentialing entity, or a university from using information not provided by the uniform process for the purpose of credentialing, admitting privileges, or faculty appointment of providers, including peer review and coordinated quality improvement information, that is obtained from sources other than the provider;

     (2) Promote widespread adoption of such process by payors and hospitals, their delegates, and subcontractors in the state that credential health professionals and by such health professionals as soon as possible thereafter; and

     (3) Work with the secretary to assure that data used in the uniform electronic process can be electronically exchanged with the department of health professional licensing process under chapter 18.122 RCW.

[2009 c 298 § 6.]