Do the Medical Staff (MS) appointments and re-appointments and allied health professionals require documentation in the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) meeting minutes? Is there specific medical staff documentation criteria that we should follow?
What Is the Medical Staff Documentation Criteria?
The medical staff documentation criteria standards do not get that granular. But, documenting an action on the list of potential appointees in the minutes of the committee assigned to that approval process is important. The signature of one individual officer on the application indicates that one individual signed off. But, documenting it in the minutes demonstrates that the one officer did so with the agreement of the committee.
In addition, we recommend that the minutes include a list, which could be an addendum, that documents:
- All appointees
- New privileges
- Reappointments
- Renewal of privileges
This should include all recommendations by the MEC for action by the board. The board considers and acts on the recommendation as a consent agenda item, or takes each action individually (not necessary) and that action to approve should be memorialized in the minutes presented at the next meeting. Of course, the board can take exception to an MEC recommendation, deny the appointment or privilege request, or send back for further investigation.
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