Leadership follow up on disruptive behavior is key

Policies and codes of conduct regarding disruptive physician behavior are effective only if they’re consistently enforced. This includes responding to reports of alleged misconduct in a timely manner.   

“When a complaint is filed, leadership needs to respond quickly and follow established procedures,” notes Todd Sagin, MD, JD, principal consultant at Sagin Healthcare Consulting in Laverock, Pennsylvania. “This lets people know they’re being taken seriously.”

Follow-up is another important part of addressing complaints. “In my experience, that function of time and follow-up is always something that trips up organizations,” says Matt Steinkamp, LCSW, CCP, professional coach, consultant, and lead faculty at the Center for Personalized Education for Physicians (CPEP) in Denver. “Let people know their complaint was received and that the appropriate steps are being taken. Also, inform the physician [whom the complaint was about] as soon as possible—don’t wait until an annual review process to address complaints.”

With that said, hospitals shouldn’t give out the details of how an issue is being investigated or what the consequences might be for the physician in question. “That should be kept confidential as part of the peer review process,” Sagin cautions. “But employees should receive confirmation that medical staff and hospital leaders are following the organization’s policy for unprofessional conduct—the complaint shouldn’t just go into a black hole.” When it does, people get the feeling that it simply isn’t worth the effort (or risk) to report.

Source: News and Analysis