My goal in consulting and writing is to help medical staffs move from a punitive or indifferent peer review culture to one that supports physician improvement and the pursuit of excellence. The good news is that peer review culture can change. But how do you get there? In my experience, there...
Once upon a time, key medical staff leadership positions (officers, department chairs, credentials chair, peer review chair) were viewed as important voluntary positions to help the medical staff carry out its board designated responsibility to ensure the care provided primarily by individuals...
We continue to see the roles of nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) evolve with expanding opportunities in a multitude of medical specialties. According to the Practicing Clinicians Exchange, there are approximately 205,000 NPs and 104,000 PAs in the United States.
About a year ago, I ran into a well-known physician quality leader at a national meeting. As we discussed various aspects of physician performance evaluation, he made a somewhat broad statement that sounded reasonable but felt unsettling. His view was that, since healthcare quality was really...
Got telemedicine practitioners on the brain? You're not alone. From their increasing role in the hospital setting to the evolution of accreditation standards, there are many reasons why medical staffs are talking about telemedicine these days.
Through the grapevine, the medical staff services department (MSSD) hears that Dr. Young is no longer with the organization. The department has received no official notification of this. There are rumors and innuendos that she had problems, and they know the president of the medical staff gave...
Finding a lack of resources and tools that provide direction on clinical documentation for physicians, Joseph Cristiano, MD, assistant professor of general internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, set out to educate himself about the...
Are pre-applications necessary? Are organizations still using them? Patricia A. Furci, RN, MA, Esq., and Samuel J. Furci, MPA, discuss the pros and cons of preapplications.
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Heath Care (AAAHC) announced its purchase of the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) from the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). As of October 14, HFAP was placed under the direction of the AAAHC's accrediting arm, the...
The Compact won't mean the end of current licensing processes for the majority of physicians, who only practice in one state. Rather, it will apply to initial licensure for physicians interested in practicing in multiple states. MSPs won't need to revamp their processes, either, says ...
