Path to better relations between medical staffs and hospitals

AMA principles can help prevent further deterioration between hospital governing bodies and their physician staffs.

Editorial. Feb. 18, 2008.

It's no secret that relations between medical staffs and hospital governing boards have been strained in recent years.

Several lawsuits over the past decade have asked the courts to weigh in on things such as who has control over medical staff bylaws, privileging, contracting and quality issues. Often, both sides say the issues come down to patient safety and quality of care, and both sides say they need to take responsibility.

Having everyone in the hospital setting thinking about these areas is critical to ensuring patient safety and quality of care. It's time for the working relationship between physicians and hospital administrators to improve so that patients get the best care possible.

To ease strained physician-hospital relations, the American Medical Association House of Delegates late last year adopted 12 comprehensive principles to help build more effective relationships. The more than three-page "Principles for Strengthening the Physician-Hospital Relationship" grew out of the AMA Organized Medical Staff Sections' Governing Council.

In a nutshell, the principles say the organized medical staff should:

• Work with the hospital governing body to improve patient safety and health care quality.
• Be primarily responsible for credentialing and overseeing clinical quality and patient safety.
• Be involved in hospital strategic planning.
• Communicate with the hospital governing body in a timely and effective manner.