The individuals who review practitioner health issues will vary from organization to organization, and in the hospital setting, it is dependent on the structure of the medical staff. Many healthcare organizations have established a working committee specifically dedicated to matters of physician health and well-being.

Healthcare workers are in a precarious position on the frontlines of the struggle against COVID-19. In China, Italy, and Spain, thousands of healthcare workers have been infected with the coronavirus .During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the mental health needs of healthcare workers should not be overlooked, a disaster response expert says.

In an April 3 letter to the National Governors Association (NGA), the American Medical Association (AMA) called on all governors to adopt stay-at-home orders to limit the spread of COVID-19. The AMA also urged governors to close non-essential business, limit non-essential activities, and prohibit gatherings as the country responds to the pandemic.

As the stress and burden on providers increases constantly in hard-hit areas, many organizations are struggling to find ways to support their practitioners as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mount Sinai Health System in New York is enhancing its existing programs and adding new resources to meet the needs of its workforce as its members battle COVID-19 on the front lines.

In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the CRC team has seen a rise in the need for credentialing and privileging resources, and we've particularly noticed the increased use of telemedicine services, both to screen patients for COVID-19 but also to allow patients to schedule appointments with practitioners without leaving their homes. The CRC team realizes that these are trying times, and we want to know how we can best support you through them. Share your top telemedicine and COVID-19 concerns with Associate Editor Karla Accorto at kaccorto@hcpro.com so we can work to provide the content you need.

As COVID-19 spreads throughout the U.S., MSPs face unique challenges to support their practitioners and keep patients safe. In response, we’ve launched an Acute Care Coronavirus response page that provides resources and solutions for hospitals and health systems as they navigate COVID-19. You can also visit our forum dedicated to COVID-19 discussions to ask your questions and share best practices with your colleagues

Although practitioners are experiencing burnout and mental health problems in the COVID-19 pandemic, MSPs are also likely to be struggling with wellness. Read this article from the January 2020 issue of Medical Staff Briefing to gain tips for managing stress and coping with mental health concerns.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has created a new must-pass element for credentialing for 2020 that requires organizations to have policies and procedures describing their credentialing system controls. The new must-pass element falls under its Health Plan standard, “CR 1, New Element C: Credentialing System Controls.”

NCQA requires that the health plan’s policies and procedures address how it stores, modifies and secures its credentialing information. In addition to the confidentiality requirements under its Health Plan standard, “CR 1, New Element C: Credentialing System Controls,” Policies and Procedures, all aspects of how data is accessed, changed, monitored and managed to ensure confidentiality and security must be documented.

As staffing and personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages continue to rise, it is likely that many members of the medical staff will soon exerience increased burnout, anxiety, and other mental health problems. This webinar offers best practices on how to create a provider wellness program that supports members of the medical staff who are struggling with their mental health. While creating a provider wellness committee to address these concerns may not be practical at the moment, this webinar contains tips that can be applied outside of a committee. We encourage you to take this advice and apply it as you can during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To listen to the webinar, click here.

The medical staff services department (MSSD) and the medical staff work together to achieve the single most important goal of any healthcare organization: ensuring patient safety. However, in order to do this well, MSPs in the MSSD as well as physicians on the medical staff need to develop and maintain a strong working relationship. As the new coronavirus (COVID-19) threatens to overwhelm hospitals, it’s essential now more than ever that MSPs and the medical staff come together as a team.

Whether at your local hospital site or through interactions with network corporate sites, you will have contact with MSPs. The following list of dos and don’ts when working with MSPs and the medical staff services department (MSSD) might be helpful to you as a medical staff leader:

While ultimately both parties need to make an effort in order to maintain the relationship, there are different ways each side can contribute. One way the medical staff services department (MSSD) can do their part is by finding ways to effectively communicate information to the medical staff. When the MSSD can easily disseminate information to physicians, MSPs can more successfully establish a rapport with the medical staff, strengthening the relationship.

As practitioners and staff work long hours on the front lines of COVID-19, they are likely to experience a detriment to their mental well-being. This article, originally published in Medical Staff Briefing in 2017, provides examples of how to prioritize the well-being of your faculty and residents. While it does not specifically address how to do this in the midst of a pandemic, we encourage you to apply key concepts at your organization as you are able.