After years of decline, 2020 and 2021 saw record rises in U.S. drug overdose deaths. In the 12-month period that ended in April 2021, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, an increase of nearly 30% from the prior year, according to provisional figures reported by the National...
The National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) recently released what it sees as core functions of the MSP’s role, which includes two new areas: managing the provider enrollment process, and analyzing and managing data verification.
Medical staff service professionals and hospital leaders have long asked what is reportable to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) when taking disciplinary action against a physician. The NPDB is a centralized database overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that...
Trust in the U.S. healthcare system took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic as many members of the general public struggled with misinformation and conflicting medical advice and guidelines, particularly those in his-torically marginalized communities. These communities were already vulnerable...
Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, people in a variety of careers and of all ages and socioeconomic levels are reevaluating their priorities and, in many cases, making career moves. While stories of people leaving their jobs and often their homes in urban centers for a less fast-paced...
The standards in The Joint Commission’s Medical Staff chapter focus mainly on governance and organization of the medical staff, credentialing and privileging licensed independent practitioners, and overseeing the clinical activities of those practitioners.
With more than five million dead worldwide from COVID-19, the enduring threat of health misinformation and disinformation has prolonged and worsened the pandemic. Healthcare professionals must be vigilant to counter inaccurate information about COVID-19, vaccines, and treatments wherever it may...
Short of terminating a physician’s employment, appraising a physician’s performance is often the responsibility that administrative and medical staff leaders hate most. For many physicians, the phrase “performance appraisals” stirs up an unsavory image of managers sitting behind large desks...
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit involving Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), the teaching hospital of the Yale School of Medicine, and aging physicians remains an ongoing legal matter. The EEOC charged in the February 2020 lawsuit that the hospital violated federal...
The past year has brought a lot of changes for medical assistants. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have expanded their duties to include things such as nasopharyngeal swabbing, COVID-19 vaccinations, and telehealth functions. They also have shifted to different healthcare settings. Two...
