The Business Case for Faster Credentialing: Why Time-to-Work Matters
By: Daniel Folsom, VP of Business Development, Radiant Healthcare
In healthcare, every day counts. Each time a clinician waits for credentialing to clear, patients wait too. Operating rooms sit unused, appointments are postponed, and revenue stalls.
Across the United States, credentialing bottlenecks cost hospitals an estimated $250 million every month. Those delays mean missed opportunities for care, collaboration, and performance.
Behind every day lost to paperwork are patients waiting for care and clinicians eager to provide it.
The Cost of Delays
Credentialing delays affect both the clinical and financial health of hospitals. When key roles remain vacant, operations suffer. Service lines slow down, emergency departments stretch thin, and financial losses climb.
To keep services running, many organizations turn to locum tenens providers. But while they’re effective in the short term, they can cost two to three times more than permanent staff.
In relationship-driven markets, every delay carries a hidden cost. Slow responses and missed commitments frustrate clinicians and make clients wonder if your organization can deliver on its promises.
Those that respond quickly, keep communication clear, and follow through when they say they will not only build trust but also prevent missed opportunities.
Building the Financial Case
Early 2025 data shows the median net revenue per physician FTE reached $774,118, a 7 percent increase from the previous year and 19 percent higher than in 2023.
That figure highlights the real cost of delay. A two-week wait in bringing a physician online can mean tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. With dozens of clinicians to process and average delays of 90 to 120 days, losses can easily spiral into the millions.
Leaders often spend months searching for new revenue streams while one of the most effective opportunities is sitting within their existing processes. Every day saved in credentialing means a clinician treating patients sooner and financial stability returning to the organization.
Strategies for Speed
Progress happens when teams move with focus. To that end, leading organizations are rethinking credentialing as a coordinated operation built on structure, efficiency, and communication.
Common strategies revolve around:
Centralization – Consolidating all credentialing functions within one department improves consistency and communication
Outsourcing – Working with partners like Radiant Healthcare adds expertise, expands capacity, and ensures compliance while reducing administrative workload.
Technology – Intelligent verification tools and real-time dashboards keep processes moving, reduce manual effort, and identify potential delays before they occur.
Performance metrics – Setting clear targets for credentialing turnaround encourages accountability and sustained improvement.
These strategies not only accelerate the credentialing process but also strengthen compliance and teamwork. Information flows more smoothly, leaders can see progress at a glance, and clinicians start their roles ready to provide care without unnecessary delays
The Competitive Edge
Efficiency on the inside builds reliability on the outside. Hospitals and staffing firms that streamline credentialing depend less on temporary staff and create a smoother onboarding experience that encourages clinicians to stay.
In a market where skilled professionals are in short supply, speed has become a signal of credibility. Organizations that credential and deploy clinicians quickly meet patient demand sooner and earn a reputation for reliability.
Over time, that consistency separates leaders from laggards and shapes long-term partnerships.
Moving Forward
Credentialing speed has become a marker of operational strength. The hospitals and staffing firms that move fastest treat it as a process they can actively optimize.
They build visibility across every application, use automation to flag issues early, and keep communication open between teams. Each improvement compounds, reducing costs, building trust, and putting clinicians in front of patients faster.
The question for every healthcare leader is this: how quickly can your organization move to deliver care sooner, strengthen relationships, and recover the revenue stuck in slow workflows?
References
https://news.kisspr.com/2024/12/25/healthcare-staffing-crisis-new-study-shows-credentialing-delays-cost-us-hospitals-millions_1240173.html
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/physician-expenses-soar-exceed-revenue-generated-5-notes/
https://distilinfo.com/hospitalit/2025/03/28/provider-credentialing-delays/
