IMQ offers consulting services for hospital medical staffs April 29, 2016 CMA, General IMQ, Institute for Medical Quality, Medical Staff, Hospital Medical Staff 0 After 40 years of partnership, the Joint Commission has, effective April 30, 2016, terminated its joint survey program with the Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ), a subsidiary of the California Medical Association (CMA). Although this is a huge blow to California medical staffs, IMQ continues to offer valuable hospital consulting services, including assistance for hospitals preparing for licensure and accreditation surveys. Medical Staff Consultations IMQ’s medical staff consultation services range from individualized consultations to group presentations and workshops that provide in-depth learning experiences addressing key medical staff functions such as performance improvement, credentialing and privileging. Consultation services also may include mock surveys and survey preparedness, evaluation of current performance improvement and physician assessment processes, and recommendations that enhance these essential functions. Many IMQ consultants have participated as surveyors in the hospital survey process, and bring years of experience to their recommendations. Judicial Review Panels Another service IMQ provides for medical staffs is a judicial review panel program. Hospitals sometimes struggle to create unbiased judicial review panels and often have difficulty finding physicians without any perceived conflict of interest who are available to serve on consecutive days. IMQ meets that need by providing three or more qualified, independent physician panelists to hear evidence and, based on information presented during the hearings, participate in post-hearing deliberations and the creation of a final report under guidance of the hearing officer. Panelists are of the same or a similar specialty as the physician being reviewed. This service helps hospitals complete panels efficiently and promptly. Education IMQ continues to offers educational conferences that provide information, solutions and best practices that physicians need to successfully lead their medical staffs. For more information about IMQ's programs and services, visit www.imq.org. Contact: Leslie Anne Iacopi, (415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org. Comments are closed.
