Special topics to address in your organization’s medical staff bylaws

One of the most important roles of a hospital’s organized medical staff is to evaluate practitioners’ credentials and make recommendations to the board regarding membership on the medical staff and/or the assignment of clinical privileges. Historically, many medical staff bylaws included extensive sections laying out the procedures for medical staff credentialing. In recent years, as credentialing requirements have proliferated and the procedures have become more complex, it has become common for medical staffs to move this content from the bylaws into medical staff policies. Nevertheless, medical staff bylaws almost always retain some discussion of credentialing and peer review, even if it is to inform readers that the subjects are more fully elaborated in policies and procedures.

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