If you're wondering what a medical staff professional (MSP) does, Sally Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS, president of Best Practices Consulting Group in Intervale, NH, sums it up pretty well. "I've likened the role of the MSP to that of an air traffic controller—a key individual who makes things happen behind the scenes according to established guidelines and protocols to ensure that the highest safety standards are met."
Not only are MSPs responsible for credentialing and privileging medical staff members, they also manage and take minutes at meetings, stay up-to-date on accreditation standards and state and federal regulations, maintain medical staff rosters and financial accounts, and play the roles of teacher, counselor, and mediator. They are also keepers of the medical staff bylaws, rules, regulations, and policies.
Although in some hospitals, executives may only know MSPs in passing, MSPs are also the wheel inside the clock that makes it tick. Next week, November 1-7 is National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week to honor MSPs.
Awareness week first became nationally recognized in 1992 when President George Bush signed a congressional joint resolution at the urging of The National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS).
Medical staff services professionals are sometimes viewed by the C-suite as an expense on the income statement, says William K. Cors, MD, MMM, FACP, CMSL, vice president of medical staff services at The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc. in Marblehead, MA.
However, when MSPs do their job well, they can save the organization countless dollars and hours. These cost and time savings come from effective credentialing, privileging, and physician performance measurement processes that ensure problem physicians never reach the stage of due process or fair hearing. Fair hearings can cost the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless physician and staff hours, Cors explains.
"The MSPs lead quietly, defuse conflicts early, and ensure best practices are followed so that the medical staff can be the best that it can be. Without them, this area would be chaos," says Cors.
Stewart Hamilton, MD, CMO of Yuma (AZ) Regional Medical Center, says MSPs' work is sometimes portrayed as nitpicking and overly detailed, "but they are the first, and often the best, safety net of any hospital or group and indirectly of the patients and families we all serve."
By recognizing and supporting MSPs, leaders can help to advance their careers. "The recognition I have received from physician leaders, hospital administrators, and my peers has been extremely rewarding and has made me know how appreciated I have been for the work that I accomplished along the career journey," says Carole LaPine, MSA, CPMSM, CPCS, manager for physician services at Trinity Health in Novi, MI, regarding her promotion from procedure analyst to director of the credentialing department.
Kathleen Tafel, a medical staff services consultant and former manager of medical staff services at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady NY, recalls how her career as an MSP got off to a running start with the help of physician leaders and hospital executives.
"I came to the world of credentialing through the good fortune of an interview with two individuals: the director of medical affairs and the chief medical officer. They assessed a myriad of talents and matched them to the skill-set they were looking for. I will always be grateful to them for their ability to match my talents to the position," she says.
Tafel says she was fortunate to work for an organization with a strong public relations department that highlighted the important function that the credentialing office plays in patient safety during National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week. The PR department spotlighted the medical staff services department and individual credentialing specialists during that week, as well.
"The credentialing crew would also have our own little celebration. It didn't need to be outrageous—just a break in time for us to connect as individuals over lunch, coffee, cookies, and a small gift," Tafel says.
"All too often, [MSPs] do not get the recognition or thanks that they deserve," says Hamilton.
So, how are you going to show thanks to your MSPs next week? Here are some tips on celebrating Medical Staff Services Awareness Week.
Liz Jones is an associate editor with HCPro, Inc. She writes Medical Staff Briefing and Hospitalist Leadership Advisor and co-writes Credentialing and Peer Review Legal Insider.