Tip of the week: Recruit and retain the right leaders

This week brings us to the final “R” in the “Seven Rs” of strategic medical staff development planning, the right leadership. Without the right leadership, all the efforts to achieve an effective medical staff will be for naught. This begins with a proactive plan and process for selecting and developing medical staff leaders. Selecting board leaders and a knowledgeable CEO with the temperament and ability to work with the medical staff is also critical. The other “rights” discussed in previous columns in this series are important, but none of them will be achieved without strong medical staff and hospital leadership.

Recruiting physician leaders cannot be left to chance—the organization must develop a clear and ongoing leadership development and succession planning process. Failure to establish such a process leaves the hospital at risk of finding itself without skilled leadership at a time when it may need it most. To avoid this fate, the medical executive committee must partner with the CEO and medical staff services department to devise and implement a process to achieve effective medical staff leadership. Some elements in that process include:

• Position description
• Selection, development, and training
• Rewards and recognition
• Succession planning
• Physician champions

This week’s tip is from The Greeley Guide to New Medical Staff Models by Richard A. Sheff, MD; and William K. Cors, MD, MMM, FACPE.