Ask the expert: Does the medical staff need to include language protecting disabled physicians in the bylaws?

It's not necessary to include specific language to protect disabled physicians in the medical staff bylaws because the ADA covers all the bases, says Linda Ford, CPCS, CPMSM, director of medical staff services at Dameron Hospital in Stockton, CA. In addition, a hospital's HR policy often covers disability issues for employed physicians.

However, spelling out how your medical staff will respond to requests for accommodations and evaluate the performance of disabled physicians will guide collegial conversations down the road should a physician become disabled or if an already existing disability worsens, says Wilma Hunt-Watts, DPM, a disabled Long Island-based podiatrist.

This week’s question and answer are from Medical Staff Briefing.