In a new series focused on how healthcare professionals are overcoming unique COVID-19 challenges, Medical Staff Briefing is sitting down with physician leaders, MSPs, and quality professionals across the country to hear about their experiences. This month, we set out to hear the...
Medical staff documents must address the many administrative issues that are required to facilitate the smooth operation of the organization. When redesigning your medical staff structure, consider the number of committees and meeting attendance and quorum requirements. Are they all necessary...
The role of nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) is growing—but so is the shortage of physician healthcare providers. This is expected to lead to an expansion in the practice capabilities of NPs and PAs, and it is likely that their relationship with physicians will change....
The Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (HCQIA) enumerates components to ensure procedural fairness. The first principle of fairness concerns adequate notice of a hearing, which was explored in last month’s article; such a notice must conform to time frames laid out in the HCQIA.
It is important to have a crystal-clear definition of investigation in your bylaws. A failure to do so could have serious implications for your organization in reporting to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). You may hear the term bright line applied to the definition of investigation....
Many medical staff bylaws were written in the distant past. Over time, some have come to resemble archaeological documents. Occasionally they might be dusted off and modified, whether to accommodate a new accreditation standard or to address a controversy du jour affecting the medical...
Exponential change in healthcare is a given. Because of the swiftness of change, there are multiple opportunities for misunderstandings or breakdowns in communication. Congratulations if you currently enjoy a cooperative and collaborative working relationship between medical staff, hospital...
Are medical staff departments required? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoP), The Joint Commission (TJC), the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, DNV GL Healthcare, and the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality...
Over time, it has become common for many medical staff governance decisions to set precedents for the future. Although not required by any regulatory, licensing, or accreditation body, these decisions have become de facto truths for many medical staffs around the country. For this reason,...
Hospital mergers and acquisitions continue in response to the evolving regulatory environment in the healthcare industry. National healthcare policy is driving the urge to merge across the healthcare sector. While decreasing reimbursements for traditional fee-for-service care from...
