Calendar of medical staff office functions

To determine exactly what tasks the medical staff office carries out on a daily basis, the medical staff director or administrator should prepare a time-management log for each employee in the medical staff office. This should include a log of all telephone calls and every task performed daily for a designated period (e.g., three to six months). This is a time-consuming project, but it is the only way to get a handle on exactly what medical staff services department staff do on a daily basis.

Once the medical staff office has defined the responsibilities related to each function and the time required to complete each task, the office can develop a detailed master calendar of all responsibilities. The calendar should include tasks that the office must carry out annually, monthly, weekly, and daily.

Annual tasks occur once or more throughout the year (e.g., preparation and distribution of medical staff dues statements, elections of officers, staff meetings, peak periods of credentialing, expected influx of new applicants, or when reappointment cycles are the heaviest).

Monthly tasks are conducted at regular times on a monthly basis (e.g., continuing medical education programs; ongoing monitoring of dynamic credentials such as expiring professional liability coverage, licenses).

Weekly tasks include audits, expirations, etc.

Daily tasks might include checking the surgery schedule to compare procedures to privileges granted, etc.

Using the defined functions and the task calendar, the medical staff office director can develop job descriptions that define the responsibilities, functions, or tasks for each individual or job title in the medical staff office. For example, depending on the size of a hospital’s medical staff and its organizational structure, the medical staff office may have a credentials coordinator who performs all credentialing functions for appointments and reappointments, and a medical staff coordinator whose responsibilities include administrative support for committees and department meetings.

Source: The Medical Staff Office Manual