One of the key committees for many medical staffs is the peer review committee. This may either be a single committee for the entire medical staff whose members are appointed by the medical staff president, or several departmental committees whose members are appointed by either the medical staff president or department chair. When appointing committee members, leaders are typically guided by two main attributes: clinical credibility and willingness to serve. Both are important. Without clinical credibility, the findings of the peer review committee might be ill-received by the medical staff members it is evaluating. Without willingness to serve, committees face delays in case reviews because of inadequate attendance.

According to the most recent progress report from the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Opioid Task Force, opioid prescribing decreased by 37.1% in 2019. To put that in perspective, in 2014 244.5 million opioid prescriptions were written; that number fell to 153.7 million in 2019. This is the second consecutive year to see a decrease.

Turning to an electronic medium for credentialing and privileging information comes with a transitional period. Consider credentialing process material, meetings agendas, minutes, delineation of privileges, rosters, etc. for electronic formatting to eliminate the need for extensive paperwork.

For MSPs looking to create a more robust and streamlined onboarding process, an understanding of what is involved in onboarding is the first step. And the process probably involves more pieces than MSPs realize. For example, Amy Niehaus, CPMSM, CPCS, MBA, independent consultant, worked with one organization that has 50 elements in its onboarding process.

The World Health Organization has recently defined burnout as an official medical diagnosis, explaining it as a syndrome that results “from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is character­ized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.” According to Laura Hamill, PhD, chief science officer and chief people officer for the Limeade Insti­tute, an evidence-based research firm, since the prob­lem of burnout is unique to the workplace, the responsi­bility of solving it should fall squarely on the workplace’s shoulders.