Understanding OPPE, part 3: An OPPE system for clinical case review

For the next several months, we will design an actual OPPE system looking at different metrics of physician performance. There is no regulatory or accreditation mandate as to what must be in an OPPE system; the only requirement from The Joint Commission and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program is that you have a system in place. It is up to your organization to define what is important for you: what is capable of actually being measured at your organization and what really matters most to your physicians in carrying out their board-delegated responsibility to ensure the quality of care provided by individuals granted privileges. OPPE, or peer review, is about physician performance considered in multiple dimensions. An OPPE system at your hospital might include clinical indicators (case review, conformance with value-based purchasing metrics); professionalism indicators (conformance with professional conduct policy); communication indicators (medical records completed within specified time frames); medical knowledge indicators (meets or exceeds state licensing requirements for continuing medical education [CME]); or some other collection of metrics altogether. This series will offer step-by-step examples of how to actually do this. You may choose these same metrics or others that make sense for your organization. Regardless, five things will be required for each measure chosen.

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