Profession
Joint Commission delays standard
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 11, 2008
The Joint Commission in June postponed implementation of a revised medical staff standard.
The policy -- originally scheduled to take effect July 1, 2009 -- is intended to outline what governance standards must be included in organized medical staff bylaws and voted on by physicians, versus what can be addressed in hospital board administrative regulations. A final implementation date has not been scheduled.
A task force charged with revising Joint Commission Standard MS.1.20 is expected to continue deliberations throughout the summer and early fall. The task force includes representatives from the AMA's Organized Medical Staff Section.
The Joint Commission said the delay will allow time to analyze the impact of the revisions and provide hospitals with at least 12 months notice before executing the policy. The commission approved revisions to Standard MS.1.20 in June 2007.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/08/11/prbf0811.htm.
