Tip of the week: Streamline medical staff categories

Medical staffs often have several categories and subcategories to describe the status of physicians who practice at a hospital. However, such subdivision is unnecessary. A medical staff should contain just three general categories:

• Active: physicians who are fairly active at the hospital and have been on staff for more than a year
• Associate/affiliate/provisional: physicians who are not active or are new to the staff
• Honorary: physicians who have been on staff for a long time or who have retired and been honored by the staff and board

The medical staff bylaws should outline patient-contact requirements, clinical privileges eligibility, and other criteria for physicians to qualify for each category.