Communicate, communicate, communicate

Dear medical staff leader

When you call a meeting, what are you trying to accomplish? Most often it is communication. You may wish to communicate a new policy to medical staff members, or seek their input on how to improve quality. In either case, you are trying to communicate with physicians in a give-and-take fashion.

Unfortunately, with attendance at meetings at an all time low and physicians spending less time in the hospital, it is getting more difficult to communicate with medical staff members.

There is no silver bullet to achieve good communication in today's hospitals. However, communication needs to be frequent-not depending on a single communication to accomplish an important goal. Leaders should sue multiple media, such as newsletters, faxes, e-mails, Web sites, virtual meetings, chat rooms, and blogs. Some chiefs of staff send out to all medical staff members a monthly recorded CD with an update on important issues, which the physician can listen to in their cars while driving.

The best practice is to establish a written communication plan for the medical staff that addresses how the organization will achieve effective, two-way communication about important issues.

Editor's note: The above passage was excerpted from "The Medical Executive Committee Handbook, Third Edition," written by Mary J. Hoppa, MD, MBA, with Rick Sheff, MD, and Albert Fritz, MHA, and published by HCPro, Inc.