Janet O’Hair receives NAMSS National Hall of Fame recognition

Janet O'hair

Janet O’Hair was inducted into the National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) Hall of Fame at the 2019 Annual Conference in Philadelphia.

The NAMSS Hall of Fame was created to honor and recognize medical staff service professionals who have demonstrated characteristics of passion, dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to the profession of ensuring that high quality healthcare practitioners provide appropriate patient care across our nation.

Medical staff service professionals advocate for excellence and make outstanding contributions and significant advances in the medical services profession of health care.

O’Hair has spent more than four decades employed as a certified medical staff professional at four different hospitals and health systems in central Indiana. Her commitment to providing the highest quality credentialing support was unmatched, and she consistently advocated for the continuing education of her staff.

O’Hair was very active in both the Indiana State Association Medical Staff Services and the National Association Medical Staff Services. She served on the NAMSS Board of Directors from 2001 through 2010 and served in the role as president of NAMSS from 2008 to 2009.

She also served on the board of the Indiana State Association for several years and a one year term as president.

One of her latest accomplishments, before her retirement, was the formation of the Central Verification Office for Franciscan Alliance in which she standardized the medical staff credentialing process across a 14-hospital health system in Indiana.

Janet was nominated by colleagues who had this to share: “She not only did her job well, she instilled the passion and pride in others of being a medical staff professional. She volunteered her time with the national and local associations and shared her talents and infectious enthusiasm with many more medical staff professionals earning their respect and serving in leadership positions along the way. Janet has served as a strong confident role model and mentor to me personally, and I cannot think of a more worthy medical staff professional to receive this award.”

Another statement came from Christopher Doehring, MD, vice president medical affairs for Franciscan Health: “Jan has consistently advocated for her team’s staff members’ own professional development, insisting that they pursue ongoing education and, ultimately certification. She has been a valued mentor and role model for countless medical staff credentialing professionals throughout her career. I have personally witnessed her inspire and motivate many of her colleagues and team members, both in our system and across the region, state and nation. Her leadership in the specialty has been nothing short of amazing.”

NAMSS is committed to enhancing the specialized development of and recognition for the medical staff service professional and credentialing process within all healthcare systems. NAMSS membership includes more than 5,000 medical staff and credentialing service professional from medical group practices, hospitals, healthcare systems, managed care organizations and centralized credentialing verification organizations.

Through educational and certification opportunities provided by NAMSS, the highest priority is commitment to patient safety.