Privilege

Privilege is defined in legal terms as a right or immunity granted as a benefit or favor. In health care, privilege refers to the right to treat patients or use specific facilities granted to a health care practitioner based on his or her training or status. These rights extend to hospital admission, the ability to perform skills, and specified tests or procedures.

In general, any health care provider seeing patients in an institutional setting has defined treatment and assessment capabilities. Admitting privileges may be temporary, conditional, or full. Procedural privileges are granted for each specific skill, generally after specialty training (for example, a cardiothoracic surgeon is granted admitting and operative privileges). Privileges are granted by the medical staff of the facility and are based on established intrainstitutional policies. The process of obtaining privileges, called credentialing, involves review of education, experience, and peer reference, and most institutions have specific committees devoted solely to this purpose.