Hospital Practice News

AMA House: Certification should not affect licensure

As physicians face increasing burdens to maintain certification and licensure, those requirements must not negatively affect the physician work force, the AMA House of Delegates said in new policy passed last week.

The policy, adopted last week during the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, is based on two reports by the AMA Council on Medical Education that address licensure and certification requirements. Among other things, they call for the AMA to continue to work with the Federation of State Medical Boards, licensing boards, the American Board of Medical Specialties and its member boards to study the impact of the varying requirements on the physician work force, and coordinate certification and licensing requirements.

For physicians who choose to be certified, the AMA wants to ensure that maintenance of certification and osteopathic continuous certification requirements are accepted as meeting requirements of maintenance of licensure. Licensing boards should develop alternatives for physicians who are not certified.

"We don't want [doctors] to lose their license because they don't have maintenance of certification," delegate Doug Myers, MD, told American Medical News. View American Medical News' coverage of this and other news from the Annual Meeting.

CME activities are among education program webcasts

Learn about physician leadership, engaging members of the medical staff to improve quality and the future of the medical staff organization by viewing new webcasts from the AMA Organized Medical Staff Section. Physicians can claim continuing medical education (CME) credit for watching the webcasts. Titles include:

• "Doing the right thing for our patients: leading as a professional" (1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™)
• "Engaging members of the medical staff to measure and improve quality" (1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™)
• "Future of the medical staff: strategies for re-engineering governance and operations to advance clinical and strategic imperatives" (1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™)

AMA members can view these webcasts for free; nonmembers can watch them for $30 per credit hour. If you're not an AMA member, join today.

AMA offers expert guidance to employed physicians

Two new resources from the AMA aim to meet the unique needs of physicians who maintain employment or contractual relationships with hospitals, health systems and other entities.

The AMA's Physician Assistance Service answers physicians' questions and provides advice on physician-hospital issues such as employment and contracting, medical staff bylaws, credentialing, peer review, due process and medical staff self-governance. While the AMA cannot provide legal opinions or representation, it can provide assistance to physicians in matters pertaining to their relationships with hospitals, health systems and other similar entities.

The AMA also has updated its physician employment Web page to highlight a wide range of AMA resources for physicians who are employed or considering employment.

Manual helps physicians with employment agreements

With more and more established physicians, as well as those completing training, becoming employees of hospitals, medical groups or affiliate organizations, it's important that they enhance their understanding and negotiating position as they navigate employment contracts and opportunities in these practice settings.

A manual from the AMA, the "Annotated Model Physician-Hospital Employment Agreement," can help. This resource addresses the specific needs of established physicians and those completing training who are preparing to negotiate an employment contract with a hospital or related entity.

AMA members can access the manual for free; nonmembers can purchase it through the AMA Bookstore. If you're not a member, join today.

Guide can help physicians draft bylaws for medical staff

Medical staffs looking to draft or amend bylaws can use the fifth edition of the AMA's "Physician's Guide to Medical Staff Organization Bylaws." This valuable reference manual contains bylaws language that supports self-governance, addresses Joint Commission standard MS.01.01.01 and offers guidance on emerging issues in health care that impact the medical staff. AMA members have free access to the guide. If you're not a member, join today.