Welcome to Merit’s Blog.

As medical professionals and volunteers fight on the frontlines of COVID-19, for many, their own mental health has been put on the backburner. In an effort to aid the medical response, Merit launched ReadyNow to provide digital licensing at no cost to state organizations, medical professionals, or anyone needing to verify credentials during the pandemic. Additionally, we’ve recently announced Merit Opportunities–a new feature in the Merit app that allows organizations to share opportunities such as networking events, promotional discounts, training to earn additional credentials, and so much more. Today we are excited to share that we have partnered with Sibly to provide one of our first offered opportunities to first responders that are managing their medical credentials in Merit!

Since mid-March, the country has been in a state of emergency. With this drastic declaration, millions have lost jobs, paused their education, and put a hold on anything that involves socializing in person or in public. At a time when a chance to take a positive step forward is what everyone needs, we are excited to introduce Merit Opportunities—a new feature that will lead you to a steady path of possibilities and help you find your next step.

 Integrating verified identity and credential registry platforms facilitates a transparent nationwide credential marketplace

Since 2016, Merit has enabled thousands of organizations to issue merits to people. These merits span all kinds of achievements: awards, certifications, completed courses or classes, professional licenses, memberships, and even employment. 

Merit is now in a position where we are able to add more value to people’s Merit experience by surfacing relevant opportunities from organizations such as yours. Check out this post to find out more about our new feature, Merit Opportunities. Read on to learn how your organization can start creating and publishing them on Merit’s App. 

During such an unprecedented time like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Shelter in Place order happening in cities around the country, many people are doing a million things from a place that was never set up (or intended to be) an office. Companies around the world, including Merit, are geared up and adjusting as employees work from home. 

The bothersome, manual administrative labor required from medical organizations and their staff is something Merit has strived to ease during the COVID-19 pandemic. The launch of Merit ReadyNow eliminates the paperwork for interstate license reciprocity and license verification, but we also wanted something that would help organizations search for and access the medical professionals that are needed immediately. With these concerns in mind, Merit has launched Merit Lookup.

In a perfect world, states, hospitals, and volunteer organizations would be able to validate and issue merits without all of the sign-in sheets, time spent confirming participant credentials, and countless hours adding up total participant time. With the Merit Check-in app, all this can be done in an instant.

The Current Process Takes Too Long 

It currently takes days or weeks for a hospital’s credentialing office to perform the necessary background checks to allow medical professionals to begin work outside of their jurisdiction. For situations like what we’re facing today with COVID-19, that is time we cannot afford to lose.

The usual process of interstate licensing is known to be a long, manual, and paperwork-heavy process, but COVID-19 is striking an urgency that many have not felt before. During a time when every second counts, faster solutions are needed to allow medical professionals to get to work as soon as possible. Merit ReadyNow rises to the challenge of providing a quick solution, enabling any licensed medical professional in the U.S. to volunteer or work from any medical facility in the country for the duration of the crisis.

With recent city-wide shutdowns, travel restrictions, and limited testing availability throughout the country, many Americans are worried that healthcare professionals will soon be overwhelmed with the number of patients needing care. And even more so—worried about the patients unable to receive it. In response to these concerns, Merit recently announced the launch of Merit ReadyNow which makes digital interstate license reciprocity work for the entire country.

Digital licensing and verification for medical professionals cuts administrative barriers so medical personnel can respond to the crisis across state lines

This morning we learned that Merit was named one of the Best Workplaces in the Bay Area by Great Place to Work and Fortune Magazine! We are humbled by this distinction, and are proud to be in the company of the other great organizations on this list.