Vendor Credentialing is Broken: Here’s Who’s Fixing It – and Who’s Ripping You Off

Originally published in the Journal of Healthcare Contracting

The healthcare supply chain runs on trust – trust that vendors are qualified, compliant, and safe to enter facilities. But while hospitals drown in rising costs, some vendor credentialing companies are quietly gouging their customers with zero added value.

Let’s cut through the noise.

The Great Credentialing Price Gouge is Far-Outpacing Inflation

The healthcare vendor credentialing landscape isn’t just evolving – it’s being upended. As hospitals and health systems lean harder than ever on third-parties, the stakes for compliance, security, and efficiency have skyrocketed. So why are some companies charging more while delivering less?

From 2022 to 2025, U.S. inflation climbed 9.84%, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Meanwhile, vendor credentialing costs rose at a far more accelerated rate. Some companies hiked prices 15% or more with no real innovation to show for it.

A quick analysis shows:

• Company A: Annual price bumps, same old tech.
• Company B: Acquired a competitor, then jacked up rates.
• Company C: Hasn’t raised baseline prices since 2019.

We are undoubtedly witnessing an across-the-board increase in costs for a host of reasons…but is there enough justification to place that burden back on hospitals and their vendors? Especially in times when they are facing so many challenges. What added value is coming with those exorbitant fees?

I had to know: How does one company keep prices flat while others keep squeezing their customers? So, I dug deeper into Company C. As it turns out…they just refuse to play the same cash-grab game the competition is in the middle of.

Value vs. Price: One Vendor Credentialing Company Getting It Right

As I began this research, I had the opportunity to sit down with Mickey Meehan, CEO of Green Security (the aforementioned, Company C), and a nonconformist in the credentialing world, to better understand how they’re flipping the script. Meehan’s playbook is refreshingly blunt:

1. No gimmicks. Their baseline price hasn’t budged since 2019.
2. Tech that works. Fast implementations, 24/7 support, and workflow integrations aren’t “premium” add-ons—they’re standard.
3. Transparency. No hidden fees, no post-sale surprises.

“It’s simple,” Meehan explains, “just deliver more value than you take. Credentialing has historically been treated as a compliance check-the-box exercise. On the other hand, we have an obligation to our customers to improve access controls and compliance measures by way of cutting redundancies and enhancing upon vendor relationships.”

Green Security’s leadership remains committed to transforming the vendor credentialing experience. “We hear all the negativity out there around vendor credentialing,” said Meehan. “And frankly, we believe we’re the only ones truly listening and taking it seriously.”

Their mission? To become the most loved vendor credentialing company in the industry—by health systems, vendors, and everyone in between. “That’s why we’ve kept vendor pricing unchanged for the past six years,” they added. “We only introduce add-on products that deliver real value to the vendor community.”

Looking ahead, Green Security promises a wave of innovation. “Over the next 12 months, you’ll see game-changing advancements that make credentialing faster and more seamless for hospitals and vendors alike, while continuing to uphold the safety and compliance standards required by CMS, DNV, and the Joint Commission.”

Ushering in a New Era of Vendor Compliance

Healthcare facilities aren’t just managing sales reps anymore. Service vendors, temp staff, and consultants – they all need secure, compliant access to health systems. And with increasing rates of workplace violence incidents, safety isn’t optional.

All-in compliance: More than ever, healthcare providers are cracking down on who’s entering their facilities. Meehan’s take: If you don’t know who is entering your facilities and when – you’re at risk.

“A credentialing program is only as solid as it’s compliance.” Meehan added that they are “seeing an uptick in hospitals requiring access control for their service vendors. Not just for the benefit of upholding safety policies, but to verify when services are provided to validate billing against service level agreements.” 

It’s apparent that the depth and breadth of individuals requiring credentialing has also expanded dramatically. We’re seeing supply chain managers, specialized tech consultants, dedicated security personnel, not-so-temporary clinical staff, and countless other individuals not directly employed by the healthcare provider entering facilities in unprecedented numbers. Crucially, many of these “vendors” now have access to highly sensitive data or critical areas directly impacting patient care. There is – and rightfully so – a considerable degree of scrutiny being placed on ensuring that every single one of them operates with the highest level of integrity and compliance.

Interoperability: The organizations taking the administrative burden away from hospitals and customers are rising to the top. A significant emphasis is now being placed on standardization and interoperability, mirroring the expectations consumers have for all user-friendly applications.

To that end, Meehan talked a lot about Green Security’s “commitment to continuous innovation and roll out of differentiating features.” For example, the company offers – or plans to offer – advanced functionalities like “app integrations to reduce vendor touchpoints, continuous monitoring and verification, and 24/7 customer support.” Our research also found Green Security has emphasized its use of centralized systems, the implementation of contactless check-ins, the strategic adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for enhanced efficiency, and the critical capability for real-time verification – functionalities that are often taken for granted in other industries.

Focus on vendor value:

“Our industry absolutely needs to be reducing the administrative burden on vendors, rather than imposing additional complexities,” Meehan said. “The future of credentialing is not about just what it can do for hospitals, but how it also supports their vendors alike. For example, touchless check-in eliminates redundancies, mobile-apps for on-the-go spot checks, and a continuous model strips away the need for long drawn-out diligence.”

Beyond the obvious “table stakes” like robust vendor credentialing and visitor management, Meehan suggests that those in the market for a partner evaluate the depth and breadth of critical credentials like annual background checks and national watchlist screenings as a standard. “Look for tech advancement like seamless EMR integration, RFID-badge integration for your access control and compliance program.”

Regulatory Focus

Regulatory requirements are a moving target, shifting at both federal and state levels. For understaffed healthcare providers, keeping up isn’t just a headache – it’s a full-time job. Many (not all) vendors, meanwhile, often see evolving rules as bureaucratic red tape, not realizing that non-compliance can grind operations to a halt, delaying care and facility access.

The better credentialing partners are helping providers understand what actions are required to increase compliance and offering to scale and grow together. As Meehan explained, “we are in the business of meeting hospitals where they will be in five years, not just where they are today. Yes, compliance is the cost of doing business – but it shouldn’t be the cost of sanity. We make sure it isn’t. We’ve witnessed vendor credentialing evolve from what was often a purely administrative, manual task focused merely on identity and basic qualifications, into a highly dynamic, technology-driven, and deeply integrated risk management function that is absolutely critical to all provider operations.”

The Bottom Line

Hospitals are under siege from every direction – shrinking margins, staffing shortages, rising patient demands. The last thing they need is to be forced to pay up for tools that add little value.

By prioritizing transparency, innovation, and real support, Green Security is helping hospitals move beyond outdated systems and into a future where compliance is seamless, secure, and smart.

Healthcare has enough financial headaches. Vendor credentialing shouldn’t be one of them.

Ready to Ditch the Overpriced Status Quo?

Green Security’s software cuts costs, boosts compliance, and actually works. See why hospitals are switching: gogreensecurity.com.