Agreed. Your credentialling person is clueless.
Hence, why I recommend that people not use credentialling people.
I haven't run into this with BCBS.
I ran into it with another insurance company in my area, and simply opted to not get paneled with them, as they didn't budge on that requirement. I happily accepted those patients as cash pay.
Any of the others that want you put down who your back up is. Or how you admit. I wrote a snarky sentence like, "this is psychiatry, and the standard of care does not require hospital privileges, or back up, nor admit plans beyond referring a patient to an Emergency Department." Those insurance companies approved my application.
When Big Box shops were even doing that... no after hours call, no direct admits, just simply "go to ED" I've since declared what is observed.