Section 2996. Study of physician credentialing

1. The department shall
  examine  the   feasibility   of   establishing   a   clearinghouse   for
  credentialing  information  to reduce the burden for physicians required
  to submit credentials to entities licensed and regulated by  the  state.
  As part of such examination, the department shall:
    (a)  examine  the  efficacy of the credentialing process prescribed by
  section twenty-eight hundred five-j of this chapter;
    (b) determine which methods of organizing such  a  clearinghouse  with
  standardized  data  in  a  standardized format will provide the greatest
  usability and convenience to  health  care  providers  and  health  care
  plans;
    (c)  identify  the  most  appropriate  entity  to  administer  such  a
  clearinghouse, and verify collected credential information; and
    (d)  identify  safeguards  to  protect  the   privacy   of   providers
  participating in such a credentialing system.
    2.  The  department  shall  provide  a  report  of  its  findings  and
  recommendations to the governor and legislature within  eighteen  months
  of the effective date of this section.