Medical Staff Newsletters

This monthly resource acts as a support system by providing time-saving tools, expert advice, and analyses to help you effectively manage an evolving medical staff organization.

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Medical Staff Briefing

Issue 12, December 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Understand 2009 Joint Commission changes

  It’s that time of year again. When all the holiday celebrations are over and the ball has...

• Understanding the nuances of legal terms

  Getting the Stark Law and federal anti-kickback statute confused is easy—both are intended to...

• Thirteen tips for protecting peer review data and streamlining your processes

  It seems as if every time you pick up the newspaper, another hospital is under fire for negligent...

• Six evergreen tips for holiday scheduling

  The air is crisp, department stores are decked in lights, and requests for time off pile up like...

• Train an interdisciplinary team for communication

  According to The Joint Commission, communication breakdowns are the most common cause of medical...

Issue 11, November 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• 13 tips to protect your peer review data and streamline your processes

  If the Florida Supreme Court’s March decision to make all physician peer review information...

• Opening doors for physicians with mental health concerns

  A physician yells at a nurse and throws a chart on the floor. The outburst causes a stir, but in...

• Consolidate medical staff categories to take pressure off the MSO and streamline reappointmen

  Hospitals are increasingly paring down their medical staff categories to make life a little easier...

Issue 10, October 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Sounding the alarm on disruptive behavior to meet Joint Commission standards

  We all know that disruptive physician behavior creates a hostile work environment, but now there's...

• Measuring the six core competencies to comply with FPPE and OPPE requirements

  Editor's note: This article is the last in our series aimed at providing medical staffs with...

• Creating win-win physician-hospital arrangements

  As physician reimbursement decreases and the cost of running an independent practice increases...

Issue 9, September 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Post-Kadlec best practices

  The recent Kadlec decision has medical staff offices (MSO) nationwide wondering how to prevent a...

• Practice makes perfect: Physician refresher/re-entry courses

  A long-standing cardiologist on the medical staff hasn't been performing up to par. The chair of...

• Competency of the month: Measuring systems-based practice

  Editor's note: In the August MSB, we saw how the University of Pennsylvania Health System assesses...

Issue 8, August 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Florida Supreme Court makes peer review transparent

  Florida physicians might be skittish about participating in peer review activities now that the...

• Competency of the month: Measuring professionalism

  Editor's note: In the July MSB, we discussed how Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville...

• Simplifying the medical staff structure

  Transitioning from a department structure to a clinical service structure requires more than simply...

Issue 7, July 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The effect on exclusive contracts

  Hospitals that engage physicians in exclusive contracts or employment agreements need to be aware...

• Measuring interpersonal and communication skills

  Editor's note: In the June MSB, we saw how one hospital is measuring practice-based learning and...

Issue 6, June 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The dos and don'ts of conducting fair hearings

  Hospital labs have a sterile environment in which to determine whether a patient has sickle cell...

• Measuring practice-based learning and improvement

  Editor's note: In the May MSB, we discussed how one hospital is measuring physicians' ability to...

• Ensuring adequate FTEs for an efficient MSO

  Overtime is all in a day's work for most MSPs. For some, "lunch break" is a foreign term, and...

• Strategic development and planning: Step 4a: The right relationship

  When hospitals and physicians establish the right relationship with each other, both parties win...

Issue 5, May 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Protecting patients and physicians

  With the help of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA), healthcare...

• Developing a physician recruitment strategy

  With the gray clouds of a physician shortage looming on the horizon, hospitals should begin...

• Competency of the month: Measuring medical knowledge

  Editor's note: In the April MSB, we featured two hospi-tals that have begun collecting data to...

• Improving the patient experience through communication

  Commercial industries have long had their ear to the ground, listening for trends, compliments, and...

Issue 4, April 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• A simplified view of physician diversion programs

  An impaired physician not only puts patients in jeopardy but also poses a serious liability issue...

• Competency of the month: Measuring patient care

  Editor's note: In the March MSB, we discussed using the patient healthcare matrix to evaluate...

• Overcoming racial barriers to improve quality of care

  The Joint Commission's (formerly JCAHO) adoption of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical...

Issue 3, March 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Using the patient healthcare matrix to evaluate patient care

  Editor's note: This is the first article in a series focused on the Accreditation Council for...

• Hospitals still waiting for verdict on MS.1.20

  Although The Joint Commission established a task force in January to better understand the pushback...

• Breaking departmental barriers for a more objective process

  Traditionally, hospitals have relied on a departmentalized peer review system that assumes...

• Step 1: The right number of physicians

  As noted at the start of this series, the "Seven Rs" of medical staff strategic development and...

Issue 2, February 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• AMA's 12 principles aim to improve physician-hospital relationships

  Today's healthcare environment is growing more competitive by the day, and it isn't limited to...

• Don't let first-time leaders fend for themselves

  For many organizations, the beginning of each year marks a time when new medical staff leaders...

• Medical staff strategic development and planning: Introduction and overview

  There is nothing quite as sure as change. Current trends that affect physicians include rising...

• MS.1.20: Bylaws stuck in waiting pattern

  After years of back-and-forth on the issue of medical staff bylaws organization, The Joint...

• Pass it on: New Web site aims to reduce patient wait times

  According to a survey conducted by Consumer Reports and reported on by WebMD in January 2007...

Issue 1, January 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• As medical staffs change, hospitals redefine traditional leadership roles

  The task of recruiting medical staff leaders has become even more complex in recent years as the...

• Leaders play a crucial role in hospitalist program success

  You've carefully crafted and outlined the goals of your hospitalist program. You've discussed the...

• The Joint Commission stands behind changes to MS.1.20

  Despite an overwhelming push back from experts in the field and hospitals around the country, The...