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Running a great MEC meeting

Medical Staff Leader Connection, September 6, 2006

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Have you ever been to a meeting of the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) that was too long?

Have you ever left an MEC meeting knowing that nothing worthwhile had been accomplished?

Have you ever had your spouse page you an hour into an evening MEC meeting so that you could gracefully exit the meeting and go home to spend time with your family?

I recently attended one of the worst MEC meetings ever.  It went on for 4 hours (yes - 4 hours!) and at the end of the meeting (11 p.m.) all who remained (we lost some participants along the way) were frustrated and some were angry.  They knew the meeting had been a waste of time and that nothing important had been accomplished.  Worse yet, they could have been spending time with their families, but instead were trapped in a mind-numbing (and bottom-numbing) meeting.

We are going to spend the next few issues of MS Leader Connection discussing the topic of how to have great MEC meetings.  And the good news is that the principles that are used to make MEC meetings efficient and productive can be applied to other medical staff organization committee meetings.

Even though many medical staff organizations are having fewer meetings (and if you aren't one of those medical staff organizations, you should ask yourself why not), much of the business of a medical staff organization takes place in meetings.  Let's examine the anatomy of a well-run MEC meeting.

The anatomy can be broken into the following components:

1. Preparation for the meeting

Includes preparation and dissemination of the agenda, and making sure that the appropriate individuals are prepared for their portion of the agenda.

2. Attending/conducting the meeting

Includes how the meeting is conducted, where it is held, room arrangements, etc.

3. Follow-up

This is more than writing the minutes - follow-up includes all the necessary communications as a result of having the meeting (for example, communication to the board).

All the components are critical to the success of a well-run, productive meeting.

-- Vicki Searcy, CPMSM

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