Tip of the week: Conduct a staffing analysis to ensure your medical staff services department is allotting time wisely--Free form!

To begin conducting a staffing analysis, download this free staffing analysis tool from HCPro’s Assessing Your Medical Staff Office: Tools for Productivity by Beverly E. Pybus, CPMSM and Nancy Lian, CPCS, CPMSM.

After tallying each task in the checklist, prepare a report that lists all of the functions performed in the medical staff services department (MSSD) with the time required to perform each one. The total of all functions and time as analyzed should give you the total number of full-time employees required to staff the MSSD for the assigned functions and responsibilities. It will also allow you to reorganize the structure of the MSSD and eliminate functions that should be assigned to other departments or eliminated completely. Remember for each function to allow for volume, and multiply the average hours by the number of meetings, new appointments, reappointments, etc., as needed.

Please note that the time will vary by department and committee function. For example, the credentials committee and medical executive committee will require longer preparation and follow up than other medical staff department meetings, depending on the functions involved. Analyze all of the various functions of the MSSD in this manner.

Feel free to customize this free staffing analysis checklist to your facility.