The organized medical staff: should anyone care anymore?

Every hospital has an organized medical staff, but of what value is this organizational construct in the current environment? Given the New World Order of quality improvement, patient safety, the malpractice crisis, and the multiple demands physicians struggle to accommodate on a daily basis, it is time to reconsider the role of the medical staff This article looks at the legal basis for the medical staff's role; considers typical medical staff bylaws; and addresses some of today's hottest potatoes between medical staffs and boards, all in light of the new quality era. Based on more than 25 years of working with medical staffs on these issues, and reflecting themes around clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), the author makes the case that although the medical staff is still a vital component of the hospital's mission, both in the bylaws and in its functions, today's staff can be revitalized in ways that can be far more meaningful to physicians and far more likely to propel quality.