Take meaningful meeting minutes

Taking minutes can be a challenge. They should not be a verbatim account of routine discussions, but when they are required for hearings, appeals, and certain other situations, such as a fair hearing process, a verbatim transcript may be required.

When compiling meeting minutes, keep them brief and succinct. It’s not always easy to distill a lengthy discussion into a few sentences describing who did what, when, and why, so the compiler should be objective and describe actions in the third person. In some cases, the MSP may be called on to provide information such as a hospital policy or credentialing requirements. MSPs must therefore know when to participate in the discussion, and be prepared to do so.

Concise, accurate minutes require an understanding of the issues being addressed. The person taking minutes must be familiar with the medical staff organization and bylaws, and must possess a working knowledge of applicable regulations and legal concerns. Minutes should be written so they’ll be useful for potential future readers, such as new committee chairs or accreditation surveyors.

Meeting minutes should be organized by subject. The subject can be a heading taken from the agenda and/or the first sentence of a paragraph. Generally, names appear in minutes only in the subject sentence, unless personnel are cited as presenters or summarizers. Include credentials when mentioning names.

Source: The Medical Staff Office Manual: Tools and Techniques for Success