Mission & Expectations

Expectations & General Competencies for Members of the Methodist Health System Medical Staff

MHS Medical Staff Mission Statement

To promote a culture that encourages each individual to strive to provide the highest quality of care to patients, to uphold the MHS Hospitals' commitment to the community, and to strive to be the best he or she can be through professional behavior, communication, and commitment to the profession of the healing arts.

Expectations

Membership on the Medical Staff of Methodist is a privilege granted by the Board of Directors. As members of the Medical Staff, we expect that every physician will abide by the medical staff bylaws and policies, departmental rules, and hospital policies. We recognize that the Medical Staff is responsible to the Board of Directors to provide quality and efficient healthcare to patients in our charge. Each member of the Medical Staff will accordingly support the mission of the hospital. We all have individual skills and strengths which will contribute to the betterment of this community of healing. The primary expectation is for each physician to be the best physician he or she can be. The Hospital and the Medical Staff will strive collaboratively to support every physician in this goal. To assist members in pursuing these goals, the leadership developed the following outline of expectations. It is expected that every staff member will strive:

General Competencies

Quality of Care (Patient Care, Medical/Clinical Knowledge, Practice Based Learning and Improvement)

• To pursue excellence in patient care.
• To keep clinical skills current by participating in ongoing CME.
• To share expertise willingly in an effort to bring excellence to the institution and to those around us.
• To actively participate in peer review and quality improvement activities. At Methodist, practitioners can expect to get regular feedback about quality indicators of the care they deliver.
• To actively participate in evaluation and implementation of evidenced-based medical practices.
• Patient Safety (examples):
  • Infection Control Measures - Hand-washing, use of proper barriers, appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis
  • Universal Protocol
  • Order Read-Back
  • Adherence to unapproved abbreviation policy
  • Documentation - Legible, timely and thorough

Quality of Service (Patient Care, Interpersonal Skills and Communication Skills and Patient Focused)

• To recognize the value in direct and timely communication in avoiding errors.
• To actively engage and communicate with patients, families, nurses and fellow staff members.
• To have a good bedside manner and to please the patient.
• To complete medical records accurately and legibly at the time a service is provided to a patient.
• To recognize that at Methodist consultation requests must be from practitioner to practitioner (never through the nursing staff).
• To always respond promptly when called by hospital staff or by fellow practitioners.
  • Patient Focus (examples):
    • Accomplish Informed Consent
    • Follow Advance Directives

Resource Utilization (Medical/Clinical Knowledge and System Based Practice)

• To be responsible stewards of resources, efficiently and responsibly utilizing the services and the facilities of the Hospital.
• To participate in Medical Staff and Hospital efforts to prioritize quality and resource management.
• To realize that the most expensive item in the hospital is the physician's pen.

Peer and Coworker Relationships (Interpersonal/Communication and Professionalism)

• To treat others with respect, courtesy and dignity and conduct ourselves in a professional and cooperative manner.
• To be friendly, courteous and kind.
• To respond and be supportive of staff relationships.
• To be aware of the MHS Practitioner Conduct Policy, and realize that every time we have badly we demean the entire profession. Therefore, we hold each other accountable for behavior that is out of professional bounds.
• To work with physicians and other team members in a collaborative manner to achieve patient care goals while respecting what each discipline brings to patient care.
• To commit to helping others be the best they can be through timely, first part communication.

Citizenship - Contributions to the Hospital and to the Community (Patient Care, Practice Based Learning and Interpersonal/Communication)

• To provide medical care in emergencies regardless of the patients' ability to pay.
• To participate as a member of the Medical Staff by serving on medical staff committees.
• To aid in education programs for house staff, nursing staff and allied health professionals.
• To comply with meeting attendance requirements.
• To realize that at Methodist an on-call practitioner must communicate with the Emergency Department within 30 minutes of being called; if requested, the on-call practitioner must be physically present in the Emergency Department within one hour.

General Information

• If you have any questions about your responsibilities as a member of the Medical Staff, please contact the Medical Staff Office:

Thank you for choosing Methodist Health System to practice your skill.

Endorsed by Corporate Medical Board - 08/05/03
Revised 02/26/08, Approved Corporate Medical Board - 04/15/08