Friday, August 29, 2008

Joint Commission’s disruptive behavior standard

---has hit the pages of the latest issue of American Medical News. The article expresses concerns that mirror my own. From the article:

The moves are drawing fire from doctors. They say disruptive behavior policies, which can cover everything from criminal assaults to condescension, are often too vague and used against physicians who may step on toes when advocating for patients or who own competing specialty hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers.

Some worry that the commission's actions could make it easier for hospitals to target outspoken medical staff members.

Disruptive behavior policies have "already been used to remove from the medical staff physicians who have a different opinion from administration," said Jay A. Gregory, MD, chair of the American Medical Association's Organized Medical Staff Section Governing Council. "We'll see more of that as time goes on.”

The thought police are everywhere.

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