Peer Review Monthly: What should you call your peer review committee?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” This famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet suggests that what we call something doesn’t matter. After all, it is the essence of the person or object that is important, not the name. In our recent presidential election, much was made of Barack Obama’s middle name. He even joked that it was given to him by someone who probably never thought he would run for president.

So, does it matter what you call your peer review committee? Clearly the most important issue is how it functions. Is it fair? Is it efficient? Is it collegial? Does it focus on improvement rather than the game of “gotcha?” Is willing to hold physicians and leaders accountable when care is less than appropriate?

However, the name can make a difference, especially if you are changing your approach to peer review. For example, just as a presidential candidate’s name can cause some distractions or misunderstandings, a committee name can create a negative impression among members of your medical staff who don’t understand how it operates.

On the other hand, a name can inspire and remind us what we seek to achieve. People often name our children after people they admire and hope that they will emulate. The name of a peer review committee can remind members of its goals.

When Greeley Company consultants work with medical staffs to redesign their peer review programs, we discuss this issue of choosing an appropriate committee name. Here is a list of some names that medical staffs have selected:

• Medical Staff Quality Committee (MSQC)
• Medical Staff Quality Oversight Committee (MSQOC)
• Practice Analysis Committee (PAC)
• Professional Practice Committee (PPC)
• Professional Practice Excellence Committee (PPEC)
• Professional Improvement Committee (PIC)
• Physician (or Practitioner) Excellence Committee (PEC)
• PIC: Physician Improvement Committee (PIC)
• Physician (or Practitioner)  Performance Improvement Committee (PPIC)
• Peer Review Committee (PRC)

Some hospitals choose these names to ensure that the new committee does not carry the baggage associated with the previous peer review program. Some are chosen because they best describe the committee’s responsibilities. Some are chosen to declare a new day. And sometimes the old name is just fine because people know and trust it.

I am not suggesting that you rename your peer review committee for the sake of renaming it or to be politically correct. But if you are rethinking your approach to peer review and the goals and responsibilities of you peer review committee, it is a good time to think of the best name as well.

Best regards,
Robert Marder, MD, CMSL
Vice president
The Greeley Company