AllMed Issues Peer Review Guide Addressing New Joint Commission Standards

PORTLAND, Ore. – June, 8 2007 – AllMed Healthcare Management announced today the release of “How to Apply the 2007 Joint Commission Standards to Hospital Peer Review: A Practical Guide.” Peer review is an internal process hospitals use to ensure the best quality of care by confirming their doctors are competent and well trained enough to treat patients safely.
For 2007, the Joint Commission defines two types of reviews aimed at measuring physician competence based on evidence: “focused professional practice evaluation” (MS.4.30) and “ongoing professional practice evaluation” (MS.4.40). Both expand peer review into non-traditional areas beyond the traditional follow-up sentinel events, including credentialing, privileging and proctoring. For many hospitals, the new definitions may also extend the use of external peer review in these areas to avoid conflict of interest issues.
“The guide’s purpose is to help hospitals understand what the new Joint Commissions’ definitions mean to peer review,” said Dr. Skip Freedman, Executive Medical Director at AllMed. “It explains what they must do to meet the new medical staff peer review, credentialing and privileging requirements. The guide also suggests best practices for managing the expanded role of internal and external peer review.”
Under the new standards, hospitals must show they are making decisions objectively about doctors’ performance free from personal bias or competitiveness. The new standards demand “objective, evidence-based” evaluations that unbiased third parties, like independent review organizations (IROs), can provide.
Hospitals of all sizes will need external help to assure compliance, according to Dr. Freedman. For small and mid-sized hospitals wanting to conform to the standards, this could mean conducting proctoring evaluations and ongoing reviews of doctors. Smaller hospitals are often shorthanded in a particular medical specialty or their doctors have relationships outside the hospital that hinder their objectivity. Larger hospitals and hospital groups may also lack the right unbiased specialist peer for proctoring or reviews, or they may want to set up regular external reviews of their doctors’ performance to assure compliance.
How to get the guide
Hospital quality managers, medical staff leaders and peer review committee members may download the guide by going to http://www.allmedmd.com/resources/downloads/2007_JCAHO_guide.htm .
AllMed is also offering a free downloadable Webinar on “Creating An External Peer Review Policy.” Click the “Free Webinar” button on the top right of the screen at www.allmedmd.com to view it.
AllMed created the guide because hospitals turn to unbiased third parties like IROs to evaluate cases involving not just sentinel events and doctor errors but also credentialing, privileging and proctoring. As the new standards become practice, hospitals will turn to IROs when internal conflicts of interest preclude an objective evaluation by a hospital’s own peer review committee.
About AllMed Healthcare Management
Founded in 1995, AllMed is a URAC-accredited independent review organization (IRO) serving leading hospital groups, insurance payers, and medical management firms, nationwide.  Reviews are conducted by board-certified physicians in active practice.  AllMed’s growing customer base includes premier organizations, such as HCA, Tenet Healthcare, HealthNet, American Health Holding, , several Blue Cross/Blue Shield organizations, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, and other leading healthcare payers. More information about AllMed can be found on the company’s Web site at www.allmedmd.com.