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Medical Staff Leader Connection

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Medical Staff Leader Connection

Issue 52, December 30, 2010

• Medical staff fights: How to strive for the best outcome when the stakes are high

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: Should the medical staff report a physician with an addiction or impairment to the National Practitioner Data Bank?

  A medical leave of absence is a leave granted for health concerns, usually 45 days or longer, that...

• Tip of the week: Use guidelines to help you develop criteria for new privileges

  Due to changing healthcare technologies, increasing specialization, and the growth of individual...

Issue 51, December 23, 2010

• A Christmas memory

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Craft a nonretaliation policy to encourage reporting of disruptive behavior

  A nonretaliation policy makes it clear that reporting improper conduct is a duty of all staff...

• Ask the expert: Should our organization allow physicians to sit on the governing board?

  Why wouldn’t the board want individuals who are experts in their respective fields to...

• Featured blog post: Is your OPPE data really complete?

  When reviewing a physician’s ongoing professional practice evaluation (OPPE) profile, do you...

Issue 50, December 16, 2010

• How to make sure your references are worth more than the paper they're written on

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: When proctoring another physician, ask his or her side of the story

  If a physician is being proctored because of a potential competence issue, it is important for the...

• Ask the expert: When is it appropriate to use external peer review?

  Hospitals should have a policy that clearly describes the circumstances under which it would seek...

• Featured blog post: Who does what? Define responsibilities to ensure a smooth proctoring process

  In the January 2011 issue of Medical Staff Briefing, we discuss five tips for being a good...

Issue 49, December 9, 2010

• NPDB reporting requirements for PAs and NPs

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Productivity tips for medical staff office managers

  Sometimes the most difficult thing to accomplish at work is work. With telephone calls, meetings...

• How does PROMETHEUS fit in with healthcare reform?

  PROMETHEUS is a provider payment model that is designed to pay providers, including physicians and...

• Featured blog post: Where do we go from here?

  The Republicans are back in control of Congress. With a majority in the House, they have the...

• HCPro has moved!

  HCPro is proud to announce that we have moved from our long-time headquarters in Marblehead, MA to...

Issue 47, December 2, 2010

• Current competency and the low-volume physician: The case of the unsupervised PA, Part II

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: A physician on our medical staff is returning to work after a leave of absence to receive treatment for alcoholism. Who on the medical staff should know?

  In an ideal world, the only people who know the reason for a physician’s leave of absence are...

• Tip of the week: Join a medical staff services association to boost your career

  Almost every state has an association of medical staff services that, along with the National...

• Featured blog post: Physician-hospital alignment questionnaire template

  If a group of physicians approached your hospital about doing an underarrangement, the hospital...

Issue 46, November 18, 2010

• Is practicing medicine really like riding a bicycle?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Keep an eye out for signs of physician depression

  Depression can be a stand-alone impairment or it can be linked with burnout. The overall physician...

• Ask the expert: How should our medical staff credential and privilege moonlighting residents and fellows?

  Residents and fellows who are working in the hospital in a capacity outside their training programs...

• Featured blog post: Sample physician hospital alignment questionnaire

  If a group of physicians approached your hospital about doing an underarrangement (a hospital...

• HCPro book survey: We need your help!

  Dear readers, HCPro wants to provide the most useful information to you. We need your help. Please...

Issue 45, November 11, 2010

• Who should be involved in the medical staff bylaws revision process?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Featured blog post: Everything you need to know about disruptive and impaired physicians

  Disruptive and impaired physicians can put patients at risk, create an uncomfortable working...

• Free form from the Credentialing Resource Center blog

  This week’s Free Form Friday giveaway is a focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE...

• Ask the expert: Our hospitalists work a seven-day block schedule. Should we also give them paid vacation time?

  Most candidates will expect some paid time off for vacation. Yet, as the seven-on/seven-off work...

• Tip of the week: Include meeting attendance and quorum requirements in your medical staff bylaws

  Medical staffs that try to enforce attendance requirements usually find it a frustrating endeavor...

Issue 44, November 4, 2010

• Current competency and the low volume physician: The case of the unsupervised PA (Part I)

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: What should an employment contract include?

  Contractual and employment relationships only make sense if the strategic goals of the physician...

• Tip of the week: Evaluate the proctor's case log

  If a proctor is not a member of your medical staff, he or she must be granted temporary privileges...

• Featured blog post: Companies that provide EMR solutions

  Looking to implement electronic medical records (EMR) but not sure which vendor to choose? Here is...

Issue 43, October 28, 2010

• The medical staff is a choice

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Strengthen information gathering from references

  One of the key challenges that low- and no-volume providers present is how to assess their...

• Ask the expert: Which individuals should be on the MEC?

  An effective medical staff must govern itself, make recommendations regarding the credentialing and...

• Featured blog post: AHRQ releases new common format for adverse event reporting on Health IT

  The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and...

Issue 42, October 21, 2010

• Where did these darn numbers come from?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• MedicalStaffLeader.com poll: Has your organization implemented electronic medical records?

  Take the poll at MedicalStaffLeader.com  

• MedicalStaffLeader.com poll: How much does your medical staff charge for dues?

  Take the poll at MedicalStaffLeader.com  

• Tip of the week: Track the expiration date on physicians' licenses

  All licenses should be verified at initial credentialing and reappointment, as well as at...

• Ask the expert: As a medical staff leader, I am charged with providing physicians with feedback. What is the best way to do that?

  Accentuate the positive: Even if the goal of your meeting is to provide constructive criticism to a...

Issue 41, October 14, 2010

• Medical staff membership: With responsibilities also come rights

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Don't overlook criteria required in the medical staff bylaws

  When The Joint Commission moved the disaster privileging criteria standards out of the medical...

• Ask the expert: Should a proctor be paid for his or her duties?

  Historically, members of the medical staff have been expected to donate time to the peer review...

• Featured blog post: ABMS and ACGME update core competencies

  The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical...

Issue 40, October 7, 2010

• The dilemma of practice-based learning: How do you measure it?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: How should the medical staff discern between harassment and rude behavior?

  Harassment and discrimination violate the Civil Rights Act, which protects against employment...

• Tip of the week: Use prospective FPPE to catch problems before they happen

  Prospective review is the process whereby the evaluated physician describes to the physician...

• Featured blog post: Atul Gawande--Why healthcare should be like baseball

  Ringing a bell with Boston attendees, Gawande referenced former Red Sox general manager (now...

• Updates from NAMSS

  Don’t forget to check out video clips from this year’s NAMSS conference on...

Issue 39, September 30, 2010

• Criteria-based privileging system: Matching privileges to competence

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: How will the ACGME's new Common Program Requirements affect the medical staff?

  The proposed Common Program Requirements spell out several new standards. The following are some of...

• Tip of the week: Brush up on disaster privileging procedures and terminology

  The Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) launched...

• In the news: Joint Commission issues Report on Quality and Safety 2010

  Hospitals are improving the quality of care in heart attack, pneumonia, surgery, and...

• Check out MedicalStaffLeader.com, the blog for MSPs and medical staff leaders

  This week on MedicalStaffLeader.com, you’ll find information regarding the Joint...

Issue 38, September 23, 2010

• Make your hospitalist program a key component of physician-hospital alignment

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Ask local hospitals how they manage legal matters

  If your medical staff is struggling with the decision whether to use its own legal counsel or the...

• Ask the expert: How should our hospital choose an overall physician-to-population ratio for the community?

  The first step in choosing an appropriate overall physician-to-population ratio for a community is...

Issue 37, September 16, 2010

• When does marginal performance become incompetence?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Measure the burden of ED call

  To establish fair market value for physician ED call services, determine what those services...

• Ask the expert: Who owns the process of developing a policy regarding clinical assistants and advanced practice professionals?

  How should an organization proceed in developing or revisiting a policy covering clinical...

• Featured blog post: How much health did you make today?

  Two articles in the August 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine highlight the difficulty...

Issue 36, September 9, 2010

• Do residents need to be credentialed?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: We just merged with a facility that has a different accreditor than we do. Do we need to change accreditation providers?

  Medical staff and administrative leaders must decide whether it is more beneficial for the parties...

• Tip of the week: Familiarize yourself with EMTALA changes

  On July 16, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a series of revisions to the...

• Featured blog post: Sharpen the tools in your interactive recruitment marketing kit

  In the physician recruitment cycle, we are at a critical stage when residents and fellows who...

Issue 35, September 2, 2010

• Ask the expert: How should our medical staff use rate indicator targets when conducting physician peer review?

  The target needs to be expressed in the same measurement format as the indicator. It is not...

• Tip of the week: Create communication links between the governing board and MEC

  The MEC and governing board must cooperate to help the medical staff and hospital function...

• Featured blog post: Medical staff advisor is advocate for MSPs

  One of the most valuable duties of the medical staff advisor is the working alliance with the...

• School's back: The dilemma of practice-based learning

  The first three weeks of each month, this weekly column from The Greeley Company will address...

Issue 34, August 26, 2010

• Focused professional practice evaluation: Don't overdo it!

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: Who is responsible for paying a proctor when an existing medical staff member requests new privileges?

  If the organization is pushing to adopt the procedure, technology, or treatment in question, the...

• Tip of the week: Avoid retention bonuses that pay out after a few years

  Some hospital medicine practices implement retention bonuses. For each year of service, the...

• Featured blog post: 9 tips for conducting peer review in the face of discoverability

  They call Missouri the “Show Me State,” but perhaps that name is better suited for...

• Take the aging practitioner policy poll

  Does your medical staff have a policy that specifically addresses credentialing and privileging for...

Issue 33, August 19, 2010

• Credentialing for accountable care organizations

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tips for engaging medical staff members

  Consider reinstituting mandatory medical staff meeting attendance. Under such an arrangement...

• Ask the expert: How should the medical staff address leaves of absence in the bylaws?

  Requests for leaves of absence have become more common in recent years, and it is important for...

• Featured blog post: The medical staff advisor--not just another administrator

  The orientation of new medical staff members usually falls to the medical staff professionals, but...

• In the news: Nearly all physicians get sued at some point during their career

  For every 100 physicians, there are 95 medical lawsuits, according to a new report from the...

Issue 32, August 12, 2010

• What is expedited credentialing?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Don't forego new-physician orientation

  Each organization should have some level of orientation for its physicians, as there are many...

• Ask the expert: I'm too busy to detail how I spend my time. Is it essential that the medical staff services department track every activity?

  Hospital administration and governance must closely monitor the work completed by the medical staff...

• Featured blog post: The role of the medical staff advisor

  is a group of physicians that could potentially pave the way for physician-hospital alignment: the...

Issue 31, August 5, 2010

• E-mail and peer review: Another urban myth?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Reduce bias in peer review by understanding where it stems from

  Medical staffs know that the peer review process is not free of bias, but what they might not know...

• Ask the expert: What do we do with imprecise peer review data?

  Believe it or not, imperfect data is usable data. Imperfect data should never prevent the peer...

• Featured blog post: Do doctors understand patient costs?

  Last week, I went to the optometrist for my annual checkup. I expected to get a new prescription...

• Online video training for medical staff leaders

  Do you enjoy the classroom setting but don’t have the budget to fly all around the country...

Issue 30, July 29, 2010

• The role of leaders to mitigate conflict and protect patients

    This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review...

• Tip of the week: Take a proactive approach to low-volume providers

  Regardless of their reasons for not being active at the hospital, many low-volume practitioners...

• Ask the expert: Some of our low-volume providers want to be medical staff members to meet their managed care organizations' requirements, but they don't treat patients at the hospital. Is there any way to accommodate their requests?

  Remember, the term credentialing refers to the overall process of gathering and verifying...

• Featured blog post: Tips for preparing the medical staff for regulatory surveys

  With the Joint Commission performing unannounced accreditation surveys, organizations must be in a...

Issue 29, July 22, 2010

• Six steps to creating a culture of safety

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: What is the department chair's role in credentialing?

  Generally, the department chair practices within the same specialty as the physician requesting...

• Tip of the week: Put yourself in your readers' shoes when writing for business

  Looking to brush up on your business writing skills? According to Lynn Gaertner-Johnston, founder...

• Apply to speak at the 2011 Credentialing Resource Center Symposium

  Looking to create name recognition, give your career a boost, or simply share your bright...

• Featured blog post: Incident report or educational opportunity?

  As the medical affairs office at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas reviewed incident...

Issue 28, July 15, 2010

• What to do when credentialing decisions aren't black and white: Part II

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: What is the CEO's role in credentialing?

  As the official representative of the hospital, the CEO is actively involved in the credentialing...

• Tip of the week: Engage legal counsel in economic credentialing policy development

  It should be evident from the myriad legal issues surrounding economic credentialing policies that...

• In the news: CMS adds outpatient measures to its Hospital Compare Web site

  CMS recently added outpatient measures to its Hospital Compare Web site. Among the measures...

• Featured blog post: Tips for writing medical staff leader position descriptions and free orientation brochure

  In the August issue of Medical Staff Briefing, I discuss the importance of spelling out the medical...

Issue 27, July 8, 2010

• What is required for fair hearings focused on advanced practice professionals?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Featured blog post: MSPs offer tips for working collegially to accomplish goals quickly

  As the medical staff services department reaches out and collaborates positively with so many other...

• Ask the expert: Where can I find already existing OPPE data?

  OPPE doesn’t require medical staffs to reinvent the wheel—many OPPE data already exist...

• Tip of the week: Keep a written log of physician performance

  An individual responsible for managing physician employees should keep an ongoing log to track each...

Issue 26, July 1, 2010

• Health care reform and quality: Providers vs. policy makers

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Set a threshold for the medical staff to approach a physician regarding a poor outcome on a performance feedback report

  Should follow up occur if a single indicator is below the acceptable level, or should it occur...

• Ask the expert: What does the phrase "just culture" mean?

  The goal of the just culture is to assign the consequences for an unsafe act in a fair way based on...

• Save the date for the 2011 Credentialing Resource Center Symposium!

  The 2010 Credentialing Resource Center Symposium just wrapped up on May 7, and we’re already...

• Featured blog post: Top free policy and form websites for medical staffs

  Last week, we told you about the top free e-mail list serves for medical staffs. This week...

Issue 25, June 24, 2010

• Should medical staffs charge dues?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Case study Q & A: Should Community Hospital employ Dr. Brown?

  During your next medical staff meeting, try this exercise: Have everyone in the room read the case...

• Free form: Clinical references policy and procedure

  In the past, institutions often relied solely on references supplied by the applicant. But now it...

• Take the 30-second hospitalist poll

  Does your hospitalist program performance dashboard include hospitalist-specific data or does it...

• Dispelling low-volume provider myths

  Myth: A physician who has not provided inpatient care services recently is incompetent Truth: A...

Issue 24, June 17, 2010

• Should you be flexible when privileging low- and no-volume providers?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Create a professional reference questionnaire policy

  Although nearly all hospitals use professional reference questionnaires during the credentialing...

• Ask the expert: Does HCQIA trump state peer review statutes when it comes to deciding which documents are considered confidential?

  No. When deciding whether a document should be classified as peer review, MSPs and medical staff...

• This month in MSB

  Check your mailboxes—electronic or otherwise—for the June issue of Medical Staff...

• Featured blog post: Joint Commission adds anti-discrimination language back in to medical staff chapter

  The Joint Commission has added antidiscrimination language to MS.06.01.07 and MS.07.01.01 that...

Issue 23, June 10, 2010

• Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium contest roundup

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: When measuring the burden of ED call, which patients should the hospital collect data on?

  To measure the burden of ED call on your medical staff, it is important to collect data on...

• Tip of the week: Conduct behavior-based interviews to determine a practitioner applicant's character, communication skills, and ability to collaborate

  Assuming that the medical staff services department does not identify any red flags during the...

• In the news: More facilities stepping up to give LGBT community equal rights in the healthcare setting

  According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index 2010, the...

Issue 22, June 3, 2010

• Olympic hockey vs. the Stanley Cup: How rules drive behavior

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Take the medical staff dues survey

  Wondering how many facilities charge their medical staff members dues and what those funds are used...

• Ask the expert: What is the downside of prospective focused review?

  No focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE) is perfect, and prospective FPPE has its...

• Tip of the week: Reconsider your definition of the active category

  Medical staff bylaws require varying levels of involvement from members of the active category.

• In the news: Faith-based care may not be based entirely on science

  According to a report from the National Health Law Program entitled “Health Care Refusals...

Issue 21, May 27, 2010

• The organized medical staff and the road to Oz

      This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer...

• Ask the expert: Should our hospital offer an incentive compensation plan to employed physicians?

  Hospital employers and physician employees must first decide whether the base salary and benefits...

• Tip of the week: Determine physicians’ interest in providing inpatient care before re-granting privileges

  Before processing a low- or no-volume practitioner’s request for renewed privileges, hospital...

• Contest winner: Physician report card

  Congratulations to our May contest winner, Iracema Navarro, medical staff coordinator at Promise...

• Featured blog post: How do you decide to say yes or to say no to an alignment opportunity?

  Hospitals often are approached with opportunities to align with physicians, and the hospital often...

Issue 20, May 13, 2010

• Choosing appropriate hearing panel members: Don't shoot in the dark

    This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review...

• Tip of the week: Don't over-define terms in your medical staff bylaws

  Most medical staff bylaws contain a section labeled “definitions” that precisely...

• Ask the expert: How does the physician equity medical staff model work?

  When physicians launch provider-owned hospitals, they own a portion of the facility’s equity...

• Featured blog post: Keeping peer review documents confidential may become trickier as medical staffs go electronic

   am currently writing an article for Credentialing and Peer Review Legal Insider about how...

• What to do when credentialing decisions aren't black and white: Part I

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• This month in MSB

  Check your mailbox (electronic or otherwise) to find the latest issue of Medical Staff Briefing...

• Tip of the week: Write crystal clear employment contracts

  If organizations merely address legalities in their contracts with physicians and fail to define...

• Contest entry: MSP orientation plan

  Maggie Palmer, MSA, CPMSM, CPCS, director of Scripps Centralized Credentialing, sent in a medical...

• Featured blog post: Resources roundup for MS.01.01.01

  To read a list of need-to-know changes and more educational resources regarding MS.01.01.01, visit...

Issue 18, May 6, 2010

• Overcome lingering FPPE and OPPE challenges

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Peer review chairs should include phone numbers on letters to physicians

  Whenever a peer review committee sends a letter to a physician indicating that he or she provided...

• Ask the expert: Should our hospital implement administrative time outs?

  The most common use of an administrative time out is to address repeated episodes of unprofessional...

• Featured blog post: Working with external peer reviewers--10 questions medical staffs should ask

  Deciding when to initiate external peer review can be a daunting task for medical staffs. Even more...

• Contest winner: Reappointment profile

  Congratulations to the April Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium contest winner, Melinda...

Issue 17, April 29, 2010

• Overcoming EMTALA challenges

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Ensure hospitalists have adequate office space and equipment

  Hospitals that offer their hospitalist programs comfortable office spaces have a better chance at...

• Ask the expert: Does the assignment to the active staff category require that a physician is regularly involved in the care of hospitalized patients?

  Not necessarily. Medical staff bylaws require varying levels of involvement from members of the...

• Featured blog post: Internet blurs the boundaries between physicians and patients

  As the popularity of social networking sites skyrockets and more patients use the Internet to...

Issue 16, April 22, 2010

• Managing impairment: Advocacy or betrayal?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: Who should pay medical staff leaders?

  After determining how much to pay a medical staff leader, the next question to ask is who should...

• Tip of the week: Solidify privileging criteria

  The credentials committee and medical executive committee recommend membership qualifications and...

• Letter from the editor: We've launched MedicalStaffLeader.com!

  Dear readers, I’m pleased to announce that we have launched...

Issue 15, April 15, 2010

• Mark your calendars for the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium June 8-9

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Confirm medical staff members' malpractice insurance

  Every hospital sets unique policies specifying the level of malpractice insurance coverage...

• Ask the expert: What are the Joint Commission requirements for checking post-graduate training at initial appointment?

  The Joint Commission requires verification from the primary source(s). This requirement encompasses...

Issue 14, April 8, 2010

• Manage the two primary sources of conflicts of interest

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Include a bill of rights in the medical staff bylaws

  The inclusion of physician’s rights in the medical staff bylaws has become more important in...

• How to ask for GMSI symposium training on a tight budget

  We know travel budgets are tight and sometimes requesting training opportunities can be a...

• Featured blog post: The Commonwealth Fund and HRET highlight best practices that result in high quality care

  The Commonwealth Fund recently released a study examining what successful health systems do that...

Issue 13, April 1, 2010

• Peer review and healthcare reform

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: How should we start designing a physician competency feedback report?

  The most critical issue on physician’s minds when it comes to competency data is how the...

• Tip of the week: Evaluate your FPPE plan annually

  Many medical staffs work hard to develop good processes, put them in to place, and not look at them...

• March contest winner: OPPE for low-volume providers

  Congratulations to this month’s contest winner, Mindy Hays, CPMSM, medical staff coordinator...

• Correction

  In the March 18 issue of Medical Staff Leader Connection, the article “The Joint Commission...

• Ask the expert: Which medical staff body carries out a peer review investigation?

  Some medical staff bylaws state that the entire medical executive committee (MEC) can serve as the...

Issue 12, March 25, 2010

• What do medical staff leaders need to know about MS.01.01.01?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: Do the changes to Section 1921 of the Social Security Act affect the medical staff peer review process?

  The requirements for reporting by peer review organizations under Section 1921 are not expected to...

• Tip of the week: Orient new bylaws committee members

  Most physicians who agree to participate in the bylaws committee do so with little knowledge of the...

• Contest: Enter to win free seats to the Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium

  We know budgets are tight. In an effort to make the upcoming Greeley Medical Staff Institute (GMSI...

Issue 11, March 18, 2010

• The Joint Commission approves MS.01.01.01...Finally! Now what?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Follow these steps to ensure accurate coding

  Hospitalist program revenue depends on accurate coding. To ensure correct coding, hospitalist...

• This month in MSB

  Don’t forget to check your mailbox (electronic or otherwise) to get the latest medical staff...

Issue 10, March 11, 2010

• To reference or not to reference, that is the question

  The first three weeks of each month, this weekly column from The Greeley Company will address...

• Ask the expert: When developing a personnel budget, what do medical staff services managers and directors need to keep in mind?

  The medical staff services department's personnel budget reflects the expected cost of staffing the...

• Tip of the week: Document changes to bylaws and other medical staff manuals

  Keep track of bylaws changes in a quick-reference chart. Check out this bylaws changes form...

• Quick poll: Does your hospital pay medical staff leaders?

  We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about medical staff leader compensation...

Issue 9, March 4, 2010

• Call ’em like you see ’em: Should physicians be allowed to appeal case reviews?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Tip of the week: Obey copyright law

  ‘Tis the season for symposiums and conferences. When designing presentations, whether for a...

• Check out HospitalistLeadership.com

  In a recent article from Today’s Hospitalist, a concept emerges about a number of physicians...

• Join HCPro and The Greeley Company in the Windy City!

  The Greeley Medical Staff Institute Symposium provides best practices and tools from leading...

• Check out HospitalistLeadership.com

  In a recent article from Today’s Hospitalist, a concept emerges about a number of physicians...

Issue 8, February 25, 2010

• Integrate financial and clinical decision making to achieve alignment

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: What are the governing board’s responsibilities?

  The hospital governing board is ultimately responsible for the hospital’s performance. It...

• Tip of the week: Encourage meeting attendance

  Although physicians are required to attend myriad meetings, leaders should make attendance worth...

Issue 7, February 18, 2010

• How to credential pediatricians based on the ABP's new maintenance of certification policy

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: What can hospitalists and referring physicians expect from each other?

  At minimum, a referring provider expects the hospitalist to provide notification on admission of...

• Tip of the week: Provide malpractice liability coverage to encourage physicians to take ED call

  As an incentive to physicians to provide call coverage, medical staffs should consider providing...

Issue 6, February 11, 2010

• Do we have to put our entire H&P language into the bylaws?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• This month in MSB

  Don’t forget to check your mailbox (electronic or otherwise) to get the latest medical staff...

• Tip of the week: Create a separate staff category for advanced practice professionals

  Allied health professionals (AHP) can and should be divided into two groups: advanced practice...

• Ask the expert: Should the medical staff exclude employed physicians from hearings because of their financial relationship with the hospital?

  There is no reason that an employed physician cannot serve on a panel unless he or she has a...

• Save the date: Credentialing Resource Center Symposium, May 6-7, 2010

  Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are talented credentialing teams. Join Greeley experts...

Issue 5, February 4, 2010

• See one, do one, teach one: Do you have a peer review training program?

  This weekly column from The Greeley Company addresses current issues in peer review, bylaws and...

• Ask the expert: What is inter-rater reliability (free form)?

  Inter-rater reliability is the extent to which two or more individuals (or raters) agree. In the...

• Tip of the week: Identify which individuals may submit references for new applicants (free form)

  In the past, institutions often relied solely on references supplied by the applicant. But now it...

• In the news: Changes to Section 1921 affect NPDB reporting

  The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) has implemented changes to Section 1921, which...

Issue 4, January 28, 2010

• Accountable care organizations (ACOs): The real deal or a field of dreams?

  The first three weeks of each month, this weekly column from The Greeley Company will address...

• Tip of the week: Engage physicians in medical staff affairs

  When medical staff leaders develop a strategy to engage physicians, they should keep the following...

• Ask the expert: What can we do to educate new governing board members?

  Have you ever joined a committee and, felt so lost during your first meeting that you wondered...

• In the news: Joint Commission's Annual Report on Quality and Safety gives evidence-based medicine a thumbs up

  Improving America’s Hospitals: The Joint Commission’s Annual Report on Quality and...

Issue 3, January 20, 2010

• Credentialing and privileging monthly: ABP may point maintenance of certification in a new direction

  The first three weeks of each month, this weekly column from The Greeley Company will address...

• This month in MSB

  Don’t forget to check your mailbox (electronic or otherwise) to get the latest medical staff...

• Tip of the week: Prior to a fair hearing, allow the physician in question to object to hearing panel members

  Medical staffs can undermine a fair hearing process by denying the physician in question the...

• Ask the expert: Do locum tenens staffing agencies serve as a credentialing verification organization (CVO) for the practitioners they provide?

  One of the benefits enjoyed by medical staffs working with a locum tenens agency is that the...

Issue 2, January 13, 2010

• Bylaws and governance monthly: Resolving conflicts between the MEC and medical staff

  The first three weeks of each month, this weekly column from The Greeley Company will address...

• Ask the expert: What is the difference between management and leadership?

  Simply stated, leadership is the act of getting things done through other people. However, doing so...

• Tip of the week: Create a task force to evaluate ED call options

  The primary goal of an ED call task force is to engage the medical staff at the front end of this...

• HCPro quick poll results

  In the December 31 issue of Medical Staff Leader Connection, we asked whether your medical staff...

• Save the date: Credentialing Resource Center Symposium, May 6-7, 2010

  Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are talented credentialing teams. Join Greeley experts...

Issue 1, January 6, 2010

• Peer review monthly: What are your medical staff’s New Year resolutions?

  The first three weeks of each month, this weekly column from The Greeley Company will address...

• Ask the expert: Can third parties be charged for the costs of focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE)?

  In general, there is no third-party reimbursement to cover focused review. Because the proctor does...

• Tip of the week: Communicate all outcomes (not just the bad ones) to the physician

  The peer review committee should notify any physician whose case is being reviewed of the findings...

Issue 11, March 18, 2010

• Ask the expert: What happens if an applicant for reappointment fails to meet the minimum competency criteria for a privilege requested?

  It is possible that a practitioner simply has not completed enough of a certain procedure in the...