What is the difference between credentialing and privileging?

Credentialing verifies a provider’s qualifications, while privileging determines which specific clinical services or procedures the provider is authorized to perform within a healthcare organization.

Credentialing reviews identity, education, training, licensure, experience, and professional history. Privileging uses that information and other competency criteria to define the provider’s approved clinical scope within a hospital or facility. A provider may be fully credentialed but not automatically granted every privilege.

• Credentialing verifies qualifications.
• Privileging authorizes specific clinical activities.
• Credentialed does not mean privileged for every procedure.
• Facility privileging differs from payer network credentialing.

A surgeon has verified credentials, but the hospital separately evaluates experience before granting privileges for a specialized procedure.

• Using credentialing and privileging as synonyms.
• Assuming payer approval grants hospital privileges.
• Assuming licensure alone authorizes every procedure.

Use the distinction: credentialing asks whether the provider is qualified; privileging asks what the provider may do in that organization.