Increasingly, organizations are implementing policies for evaluating older members of the medical staff—often for practitioners at age 70, or earlier if self-referral occurs. The policy may contain steps such as the following.
 

Given the high stakes and complexity of provider enrollment, aligning the function with traditional medical staff services work requires a clear strategy, strong approaches, and adept staff. Otherwise, the process may unravel, jeopardizing revenue, care access, and practitioner satisfaction.

Find out what’s happening in the world of federal healthcare regulations by reviewing some recent headlines from across the country.

• Unlicensed physician assistant pleads guilty
• Plastic surgeon guilty of attempted manslaughter
• Physician placed on probation again
• Plastic surgeon loses license
• Woman arrested for practicing medicine without a license

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) defines orthopedic (also spelled orthopaedic) surgery as the medical specialty that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Common procedures performed by orthopedic surgeons include arthroscopy, bone fusion, internal fixation, joint replacement, osteotomy, and soft tissue repair.