News roundup February 8-12

We are currently seeking industry experts to speak at our upcoming conference, the National Provider Enrollment Forum, featuring a new credentialing and privileging track! The Forum will take place on September 21 and 22 at the Sheraton Nashville Grand Downtown in Nashville, TN. To apply, click here and fill out the application by Monday, February 22, 2021.

Presentation topics could include:

It can be difficult sometimes to justify holding meetings. But they are an important tool for communication in any organization, especially healthcare institutions. The following are some effective ways that the medical staff services office can support meeting efficiency.

Physician assistant (PA) is the best job in healthcare and best overall job, according to rankings from U.S. News & World Report. The highest paid 25% in the profession reported earnings of almost $131,000 while the lowest paid 25% reported earnings of nearly $93,000. The median salary for PAs is $112,260, and the profession boasts an unemployment rate of 0.7%. The field is also expected to grow 31% by 2029.

The surgery department chair walked into the medical staff services department and asked Carol Cairns, CPMSM, CPCS, to add the issue of aging physicians to the agenda of the department’s next meeting. Cairns was surprised. And naturally curious. This general surgeon was a highly respected member of the medical staff, having served as surgery department chair multiple times and president of the medical staff twice (a distinction only one other facility physician could claim). He was also 67 years old.

Medical staff documents must address the many administrative issues that are required to facilitate the smooth operation of the organization. When redesigning your medical staff structure, consider the number of committees and meeting attendance and quorum require­ments. Are they all necessary to the operations of the medical staff?

Does it often seem like your quality department and medical staff services department are doing the same work related to peer review and quality improvement? Historically, these two processes have been developed separately and lived in siloed departments. In this 90-minute webinar, speaker Mark A. Smith, MD, MBA, FACS, will explore how to realign these departments to minimize duplicative work while also ensuring your peer review processes remain effective, efficient, and unbiased.