Valued Voice

At the request of WHA, the Department of Safety Professional Services (DSPS) Deputy Secretary Jennifer Garrett provided an update on Sept. 30 for WHA members on this year’s physician license renewal season, hoping to clarify any issues before they arise, making the process as smooth as possible for all. An unusual number of physicians who may encounter a hold on their renewal due to questions from another agency and the need for clarity in the use of a continuing education tracking platform, CE Broker, were among the issues prompting WHA’s request for an update.

WHA General Counsel Matthew Stanford, who takes the lead on issues important to Wisconsin physicians, noted in his introduction of the Deputy Secretary, “Physician renewal season goes smoothly for most physicians, but we also want to make sure you as med staff credentialers and physician leaders have an understanding of issues physicians may bump up against and the solutions DSPS has available to get MDs and DOs across the finish line to renew.” Almost 100 medical staff services professionals and physicians participated in the Sept. 30 webinar.  

DSPS Deputy Secretary Jennifer Garrett, middle, joins WHA General Counsel Matthew Stanford and WHA Senior Vice President Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk to provide an update on physician renewals.

Deputy Secretary Garrett urged participants to encourage physicians to apply early and to avoid making multiple calls to DSPS about the same issue as this increases call volumes and slows response rate. She also noted that DSPS is monitoring the status of renewal holds, noting those involving the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance are the most common, potentially related to the transition to a new payment platform. The DSPS leader shared the instructions physicians are given when encountering a renewal hold and the steps the licensing agency will take to help resolve the hold, noting, “I know it feels like bureaucracy on top of bureaucracy. MDs who have made a good faith effort with OCI can submit a ticket to DSPS.” Garrett also shared that the continuing education (CE) Broker software will not be utilized for renewals in this cycle; physicians will continue to attest to meeting their CE requirements. The department will utilize CE Broker as able during the audit process after renewals are complete.

Garrett answered questions at the end of the session about legal file review turnaround time, noting it to be about one week once all the information has been received from the physician applying for renewal. Attendees also asked if third party vendors would be able to complete bulk licensure validations after renewal. Garrett shared the process to be utilized, and in a bonus for participating, medical staff services attendees were even able to share their experience in making the process work with third parties their organization contracts with to complete the licensure validation process.

Physician renewal applications end at midnight on Oct. 31, 2025.  You can reach out to WHA General Counsel Matthew Stanford or Senior Vice President of Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk with questions about physician renewal, licensure or any other physician or workforce issue.