Educate oversight bodies on peer review data

This week, CRC Daily covers peer review, OPPE, and FPPE. To have confidence in peer review program data, an oversight body needs a reasonable understanding of how the data were produced. It also needs to know how the data are evaluated and what is done with the results. Explain to the board the four main systems involved in producing and evaluating physician performance data:

1. The case review process
2. The data systems for obtaining aggregate and practitioner-level data
3. The OPPE process
4. The procedure for performing FPPE for case review and OPPE concerns

The simplest—but probably least effective—way to educate oversight body members is to just give them a bunch of polices to read. Successful education requires some effort to distill the important information into a digestible form. The methods may vary based on your organization, but here are some best practices:

• Create a specific peer review overview packet for new oversight body members
• Hold a question-and-answer session to walk them through the peer review program
• Conduct an annual overview presentation
• Allow individual board or medical executive committee members to attend and observe a peer review committee meeting as a planned invited guest

This last practice may be viewed as controversial and should only be considered if the members have a clear understanding of the confidential nature of the discussion, the organization’s culture promotes transparency, and the medical staff has put in place an effective peer review program. That said, if the medical staff is doing peer review well, nothing helps to gain credibility more than allowing individual oversight body members to observe the process.

Source: Peer Review Benchmarking: Pursuing Medical Staff Excellence