A grant of staff privileges also enumerates the specific treatments and procedures that the physician will be allowed to provide and perform.

As part of the credentialing process, hospitals require proof of professional liability insurance, details regarding prior professional liability claims, and information concerning any underwriting action taken against a physician (e.g., cancellation of coverage).

The wrongful refusal to grant admitting privileges by credentialing committees is a frequent source of claims brought by physicians against both the hospitals and the individual physicians who serve on such committees. Both physicians' professional liability policies and hospital professional liability policy forms explicitly cover what are known as "credentialing claims."