The importance of positive peer review culture

During the past 15 years, physician leaders have often expressed a desire to make peer review more positive. Key practices that allowed for this shift were the increased standardization of case review and the use of aggregate data that increased the inherent fairness of peer review, recognizing excellence in case review and OPPE targets, and the hospital performance improvement and patient safety movements that provided new ideas for helping physicians improve.

Despite Shakespeare’s famous words, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” words do have an impact on culture. An interesting byproduct of medical staffs’ desire for physicians to perceive peer review in a kinder light was to adopt a new name for the redesigned peer review committee. Examples of this approach included Physician (or Practitioner) Excellence Committee, Physician (or Practitioner) Evaluation Committee, and Professional Practice Committee.

What is the major takeaway? Peer review culture can change if physician leaders desire it to. Through progressive physician leaders, the punitive culture of the 20th century has gradually been replaced by a culture of performance improvement for many medical staffs.

Source: News & Analysis