Ask the expert: What is the best way to analyze staffing requirements for the MSO?

Surprisingly, the staffing level in the typical medical staff office (MSO) has very little to do with the number of beds in the hospital. Rather, the staffing level depends more on:

• The number of medical staff members
• The number of new applicants and re-applicants each year
• The complexity of the medical staff structure, including the number of committees, departments, meetings, and other responsibilities assigned to the MSO

Each MSO is unique, so there is no equation to determine how many employees are required (e.g. X number of practitioners requires X number of credentialing personnel).

To determine how many staff members your MSO requires, perform a time management study over a period of three to six months, taking into consideration the functions assigned to the MSO and the time it takes to perform each function.

The preceding article was adapted from Assessing Your Medical Staff Office: Tools for Productivity by Beverly E. Pybus, CPMSM and Nancy Lian, CPCS, CPMSM. To learn more, click here.