• home
• beliefs
  • key industry mistakes
  • seven commitments
• why choose MDReview
  • eight steps
  • testimonials
  • survey results
• who we are
  • physician reviewers
  • our principals
• FAQ
• services
  • external peer review
  • peer review network
  • consulting
  • fair hearing officer
• conferences
  • affiliates
• ProblemSolved
• contact

Key Industry Mistakes

Medical professionals will make mistakes.

It’s human.  People will make poor decisions.  That, too, is human.  But peer review as a practice is sorely lacking in the kind of humanity and care peer review requires.  When we first created the concept of MDReview, we wanted to draw up a clear roadmap to what success should look like.  At the end of the day, we determined that our success would lie first and foremost in recognizing common mistakes made in peer review. 

Key Mistakes Made In Peer Review.

	Lack Of Adherence To Written Policies And Procedures To Comply With Regulations And Accreditation Requirements Compliance with regulations and standards is crucial.  It is important to involve all stakeholders in the design of peer review policy and process that can withstand any challenge and to stick to what is written.  Policies and procedures must adhere to sound direction set forth in the medical staff bylaws.
	No Clear Articulation Of Internal And External Peer Review Processes Stakeholders must define the specific criteria for case identification which might include sentinel events, incident reports or performance trends. They must also define the criteria for sending cases outside the organization for review.
	Failure To Document If you do not document, it did not happen!  Documentation provides proof of compliance with statutes and policy.  No matter how minor an issue, documentation is critical.  Documentation is necessary to establish a pattern over time and provide proof that careful thought has gone into decisions that impact quality and careers.
	Failure To Match Specialty And Training Of Reviewer And The Individual Being Reviewed Every case must be considered in its own context by a similarly credentialed physician.
	Failure To Consider Bias Or Conflict, Whether Economic, Professional Or Personal Partners, competitors, friends or other acquaintances might not provide a fair review.  Perceptions must be taken seriously.  External review supports objectivity by avoiding potential pitfalls.
	Failure To Communicate With The Physician Involved The bylaws should establish specific guidelines that include notifying physicians of the peer review actions, inviting them to meetings and setting reasonable timelines for all activities.
	Failure To Complete The Process It is very important to act on any identified issues.  The committee must document any planned actions (who, what, when, how) and maintain a good tracking mechanism.  It is important to follow through and not leave the process incomplete.
	Inadequate Leadership High integrity peer review programs have leaders who are constantly vigilant, making sure that peer review is never abused or misused, but rather always utilized as an instrument to maximize patient care quality and safety.  Effective leaders ensure every step in the process is taken with the highest integrity.
	Misusing The Peer Review Function Peer review is not a weapon or competitive strategy.  A diverse committee must ensure that the process is used fairly, consistently and always with the highest integrity.  The driving purpose must always be to maximize safety and quality of care.
	Crossing The Line Between Peer Review And Corrective Action Peers should review only the care rendered in each case and never recommend corrective actions.  Response to peer review should be left to medical staff leadership as dictated by bylaws, rules and regulations.

Contact MDReview

Name*

Phone Number*

Email Address*

Message*

submit

"I have used other companies and have not been impressed. In one case it was over two years to get a report, and then it was unreadable. T...

- Leota Rolls - Click Here to Read
Vice President, Mary Lanning Medical Center, Hastings, Nebraska