Medical Staff

Ask the expert: How can physician assessment programs supplement regular peer review?

Medical Staff Leader Connection, April 29, 2009

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There may be times when you might want a more in-depth scrutiny of a physician’s capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, or when you might wish to provide education programs to upgrade knowledge and skills. In those instances, a physician assessment program can be used in place of, or to augment, the peer review process. Such programs can be very expensive, but they could be well with the cost in certain situations. 

Typically, physician assessment programs are more thorough and look at numerous patients when reviewing a physician’s abilities. Such programs might include standardized patient encounters, during which the physicians are observed as they interview and examine individuals trained to act like patients; written tests; and clinical interviews in the physician’s specialty. For more information on physician assessment programs, contact your state medical society.

This week’s question and answer are adapted from Peer Review Best Practices: Case Studies and Lessons Learned, by Robert J. Marder, MD, CMSL and Jonathan H. Burroughs, MD, MBA, CMSL.



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