Clinical Faculty: Privileging

California Law generally delineates the scope and extent of practice privileges for optometrists. The primary responsibility for the confirmation and continuing review of practice privileges is delegated to the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and secondarily to the Chiefs of the Clinics.

The Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs shall be responsible to review and certify the privileges of each clinical faculty member practicing in the primary clinics. If the faculty member requests privileges for specialty clinics, the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs will consult with the Chief of the particular Clinic.

Each faculty member shall have the right of appeal to further consideration by the Chief of the clinic in the event of adverse action taken, based denial of privileges. Each newly hired clinical faculty member shall be accorded temporary privileges to begin practice and teaching in a clinic so long as they are credentialed.

Clinical faculty who are privileged within primary care clinics or one of the clinics shall be encouraged to expand their professional development by gaining training and experience to be privileged in other clinics.

We are confident that the privilege process outlined above will strengthen and build upon existing systems and procedures for quality control performance evaluation, and professional development. Identification and assessment of potential and directions of professional growth for a clinical faculty member are important by-products of this process. Progress in professional growth and development can be measured by privilege reviews as clinical faculty members seek to broaden their practice privileges.

Each faculty member will also be subject to a periodic quality assurance review of patient records (evaluation of patient care skills by auditing of patient encounters). For newly-hired faculty, peer references will complete the privileging form as part of the onboarding process.