Author's note: Over time, many medical staff governance decisions have become commonplace, even the ones that are unnecessary This series examines some of the more prevalent myths and misconceptions, delineates what is required and what is not, and offers trends and best...
Almost every hospital employs physicians and expects to employ more in the future. Many hospitals have established service lines, and some of these have morphed into service line comanagement arrangements. Many hospitals have turned to more traditional business arrangements,...
The CFO of a healthcare system recently expressed to me concern over the amount of revenue (an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars each month) being lost due to a dysfunctional credentialing process. A CMO noted that his longtime MSP is nearing retirement and the other...
In mid-May, CMS released a final rule containing many changes to its hospital Conditions of Participation (CoP). There has been some confusion over the change allowing one governing body for a multihospital system. Some hospitals have mistakenly interpreted this to mean...
In my travels around the country, it seems that all physicians have similar concerns and complaints when potential opportunities for improvement are identified. Peer review is, after all, performed for the purpose of helping every doctor be the best doctor he or she can be....
Reporting a physician to the NPDB is not to be taken lightly, and hospitals must understand when it is appropriate to do so. In some cases, a hospital can mar a physician's career by reporting him or her for a non-reportable event, such as failing to meet the requirements for ...
Back in 2007, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement created the Triple Aim, which challenges organizations to provide better patient care, achieve population health, and lower costs. Since then, several areas have been identified as barriers to achieving the Triple Aim. First on that list is...
Many states protect medical staff peer review information from discovery, meaning that a plaintiff's attorney cannot use it against individuals who participate in peer review. The purpose of the protection is to allow medical staffs to discuss peer review issues candidly and...
Because I travel a lot, I receive numerous surveys and comment cards from airlines, car rental companies, and hotels. I almost never take the time to complete them unless something unusual has happened. It would just take too much time to do all of them. Most of us do not take...
There’s no doubt about it—the healthcare industry needs a makeover. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other leaders in the healthcare realm have developed a handful of models that could hold some promise for reducing healthcare costs and improving the quality of healthcare for...
