A “no-retaliation” policy makes it clear that reporting improper conduct is a duty of all staff members. It articulates the disciplinary consequences of any effort to punish an employee for carrying out this duty. Hospital leadership must enforce the policy vigorously; otherwise, their assurances to staff members about reporting will lack credibility. Retaliation is just as serious—if not more so—than the original offense. It creates a hostile work environment. Consider the following language from The Medical Staff Leader's Practical Guide  for your organization’s no-retaliation policy.

We invited participants to submit, in advance, a brief case study describing their own challenges. We then advised them in greater depth regarding potential solutions. The participants could also interact in real time to ask additional questions or to clarify their concerns. The hope was that audience members who did not submit their own case study would benefit from the discussion of challenges facing the other organizations and from the broader overview.

One-fourth of America’s practicing physicians are age 65 or older, and this proportion will continue to rise as the peak of the baby boomer generation enters the ranks of the elderly. According to the AMA, more than 40% of the nation’s 1 million doctors are older than 50. These are daunting statistics. Significant numbers of doctors practice into their 70s and beyond with competence and care.