Ask the expert: Who is responsible for creating a medical staff leadership succession plan?

Realistically, succession planning is never finished, so the task should be assigned to an ongoing committee or entity within the medical staff. This might be the medical executive committee (MEC), for which succession planning is part of an annual strategic planning process. The responsibility might be delegated to the current officers of the medical staff as outlined in his or her job description or a medical staff committee dedicated to all the tasks associated with physician leadership development.

Increasingly, MECs are delegating this function to a nominating/leadership succession planning committee to develop a comprehensive succession planning process, identify potential leadership candidates, prepare them for future leadership roles, support ongoing leaders, and retain experienced leaders through advanced leadership activities and educational opportunities.

This week’s question and answer are from Medical Staff Leadership Essentials by R. Dean White, DDS, MS.