Moving to a hospital-wide peer review system

During the recent webcast, Peer Review: Seven Challenges and Realistic Solutions, speakers Robert J. Marder, MD; and Mark Smith, MD, MBA, FACS, answered a range of questions regarding data collection, peer review committee meetings, and process improvement. The following is their response to one of those questions:

Q: Our hospital has a variety of peer review committees for each department. The physicians from those departments are reviewing their peers. Can you give your opinion on moving to a hospital-wide peer review system?

Dr. Marder: I advocate for hospital-wide peer review or for multi-specialty committees, and for getting away from specialty-specific committees because of the potential for specialty bias and to reduce conflict of interest as well.

We strongly advocate for it … because it changes the dialogue tremendously. It refocuses peer review on the connections and collaborations that are going on in medical care today.

Dr. Smith: Even for large, complex institutions, you’re able to centralize and simplify peer review systems with a great amount of usefulness.

Dr. Marder: If you don’t want to have one single committee, you can have service-line committees that are truly multi-specialty, where you’re still respecting the principle of multi-specialty review and getting away from individual specialty committees and departments.