Accreditation—“A voluntary process by which a nongovernmental agency grants a time-limited recognition to an institution, organization, business, or other entity after verifying that it has met predetermined and standardized criteria” (McHugh et al., 2014, p. 2; NOCA, 2005, p. 5).
Certification—“The voluntary process by which a non-governmental entity grants a time-limited recognition and use of a credential to an individual after verifying that he or she has met predetermined and standardized criteria. It is the vehicle that a profession or occupation uses to differentiate among its members, using standards, sometimes developed through a consensus-driven process, based on existing legal and psychometric requirements” (McHugh et al., 2014, p. 2; NOCA, 2005, p. 5).
Cloud Computing—“A model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction” (Hughes et al., 2014; NIST, 2011, p. 2).
Common Data Model—A model that defines the core set of data to be captured, how that data will be used, how the elements of the data relate to each other, and the terms used to represent those data elements. It is a prerequisite for service-oriented architecture and cloud computing, supports widespread interoperability, and facilitates standardization of collected data (Hughes et al., 2014).
Competency/Core Competency—Competencies are the skills or capabilities developed or measured by credentialing programs. Examples of competencies include: psychomotor skills and complex cognitive skills; practice-based learning and improvement; communication and clinical skills; patient care and care coordination; professionalism; system-based practice; medical knowledge; and knowledge, skills, and attitudes (Holmboe, 2014; Lauzon Clabo, 2014; Needleman et al., 2014).
Credentialing—“Processes used to designate that an individual, programme, institution or product have met established standards set by an agent (governmental or non-governmental) recognised as qualified to carry out this task. The standards may be minimal and mandatory or above the minimum and voluntary” (International Council of Nurses, 2009, p. 1; Needleman et al., 2014, p. 1). These standards should be defined, published, psychometrically sound, legally defensible, and uniformly tested. The qualified agent should provide objective, third party assessments (Hickey et al., 2014; McHugh et al., 2014; NOCA, 2005; U.S. Department of Labor, 2014).
The purpose of credentialing is to protect the public, enable and enforce professional accountability, and support quality practice and services (Newhouse, 2014). Other goals of credentialing include advancing the safety of health care delivery; improving the quality, processes, and organizational culture of health care delivery, clarifying and defining the roles of the nurse and other members of the delivery team; providing professional support; shaping future health care delivery practice; and, improving job satisfaction and the recruitment and retention of nurses (Needleman et al., 2014).
Data Harmonization—“The process of standardizing definitions for core data elements from multiple sources critical to effective care delivery and reliable research” (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 4, citing Liu et al., 2010). Harmonization supports interoperability of systems within and across organizations (Hughes et al., 2014).
Entrustable Professional Activity—Entrustable professional activities represent the routine professional-life activities of physicians based on their specialty and subspecialty (Holmboe, 2014).
Health Care Informatics—The integration of health care, information management with information processing and communication technolo-
gy, to support the health of people (Bernstam et al., 2010). It involves all aspects of acquiring, organizing, managing, communicating, and using healthcare-related data, information, and knowledge to enable decision making (Hughes et al., 2014; Kulikowski et al., 2012).
Human Capital Theory—Human capital theory postulates that the process of attaining education is evidence of acquired skill (Becker, 1962; Schultz, 1961; Sweetland, 1996; Weisbrod, 1962). From the perspective of human theory, the person or organization is fundamentally changed by the educational and developmental process (McHugh et al., 2014).
Interoperability—“The ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged” (Geraci et al., 1991, p. 610; Hughes et al., 2014, p. 1).
Invisible Architecture—Invisible architecture refers to the structures of culture, leadership, and climate within an organization; by catalyzing the synergies between physicians and nurses, these structures can lead to organizational excellence (Kizer, 2014; Needleman et al., 2014).
Licensure—“The mandatory process by which a governmental agency grants time-limited permission to an individual to engage in a given occupation after verifying that he/she has met predetermined and standardized criteria and offers title protection for those who meet the criteria” (McHugh et al., 2014, p. 2; NOCA, 2005, p. 5).
Meaningful Use—Meaningful use requires that electronic health care systems are used to improve the quality, cost, and outcomes of health care (CMS, 2014), and that credentialing data be linked to operational, economic, and patient outcome data, and made accessible to researchers (Hughes et al., 2014).
Signaling Theory—Signaling theory postulates that credentials are markers of the preexisting characteristics of individuals (e.g., intelligence and motivation) and organizations (e.g., baseline resources) that pursue and attain credentials (Arrow, 1973; McHugh et al., 2014; Spence, 1973; Stiglitz, 1975; Weiss, 1995).
