News roundup October 25-29

U.S. counties with healthcare facilities with the greatest share of 1-star Yelp reviews had the highest death rates, and a difference of just one point—roughly one star—between counties’ average scores could indicate a mortality rate that is better or worse by dozens of lives, according to researchers at the Penn Medicine Center for Digital Health.

The Credentialing Resource Center’s annual MSP Salary Survey measures the compensation rates, essential duties, and other workplace trends shaping the careers of MSPs across the industry. Click here to take the 2021 MSP Salary Survey today to make sure your professional experiences are represented. The more responses we have, the more meaningful (and actionable) the data will be in the special reports we release for both CRC members and non-members.

Beyond receiving copies of the reports, to show our thanks for taking the survey, we will select one person at random to receive a free copy of our book, Verify & Comply, Ninth Edition.

Convinced? Click the following link to take the 2021 MSP Salary Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MSPSalary21.

The primary question a physician reviewer is trying to answer is whether a physician’s actions and decisions were appropriate independent of the care outcome. One of the main components of reviewing performance is identifying the key issues of the case. Physicians reviewers should ask themselves fundamental questions to help them with this task.

Depending on the structure of an organization, medical staff leadership may often change as department chairs, vice presidents of medical affairs, medical directors, and others come and go.

In these situations, it's the MSP—along with the established policies, procedures, and bylaws—who serves as the constant within the medical staff, says Christina Giles, consultant and speaker with Nashua, New Hampshire–based C. Giles & Associates.

For a hospital and its medical staff to be truly successful in today’s challenging environment, each must take a proactive and win-win approach to improving physician-hospital relations. The truly successful organization is characterized by better solutions to achieving high-quality patient care while simultaneously ensuring the success of both physicians and the hospital.

Don't forget to print out individual articles or a PDF of the full issue of Credentialing Resource Center Journal and Medical Staff Briefings. For individual articles, simply click on the printer icon and you'll be directed to a PDF version of it that you can print out or save. Or wait until the end of each month and you will be notified that the full issue of each newsletter is available. When viewing that month’s issue, simply click on the “PRINT FULL ISSUE” link at the top of the article listing and you’ll be directed to a PDF version.

Here are links to this month's newsletters: