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#MSPWeek® Offers Professionals a Chance to Tout All They Do

By Teddy Durgin

This November, as we do each year, we look back on 1992 when President George H.W. Bush signed Congressional House Joint Resolution #399, which proclaimed the first full week in November as National Medical Staff Services Awareness Week.

Since then, the National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) has partnered with hospitals, doctor’s offices, university health systems, government agencies, and managed care organizations (MCOs) to promote awareness of medical services professionals (MSPs) as the gatekeepers of patient safety.

This year, #MSPWeek^® runs from Nov. 3–9. And we gathered several interviewees to talk about the annual commemoration and how MSPs can best promote themselves and the MSP profession, especially in small hospitals/organizations. Jodi Schaan, CPCS, CPMSM, medical staff coordinator for the MultiCare Health System out of Washington state, says, “I love that we have a week dedicated to celebrating all that we do! As the solo MSP in a smaller hospital, I’ve often had to self-celebrate and have tried to use this week to spread the word to other departments in the hospital about the role I play in the bigger picture.”

On the opposite coast, JoAnna Haskell, CPCS, medical staff coordinator at Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth, Maine, shares similar sentiments: “#MSPWeek is important to me as it highlights the very important work that we do. As a one-woman office, I plan on placing facts/information/statistics about what I do on my office door and bulletin board.”

Both Haskell and Schaan spoke of the importance of MSPs “tooting their own horn” to ensure proper on-the-job recognition and appreciation. “You must be an advocate for yourself and your office,” the former urges. “But you also need to show that you are the subject matter expert. Join your national and state organizations; become certified; collect reference materials; and study, study, study … and study some more!”

The latter, meanwhile, believes that if one’s horn is tooted properly, staff loyalty and appreciation will take care of the rest. Schaan explains, “My experience with smaller hospitals/healthcare settings is that the medical staff’s opinion carries a lot of weight with upper management. During their initial appointment, make sure you are thorough and consistent in your verifications/research and approach every interaction with them in a professional and pleasant, but firm, manner.”

And once appointed? “Take good care of your providers! Be proactive in meeting their needs, make sure they have the fewest hiccups in providing patient care as possible. This includes not only monitoring expirations, but also staying on top of payer enrollment needs if you work in that capacity as well. I’ve found that providers will appreciate that you have taken any administrative load off their shoulders, allowing them more time to focus on their patients. They will communicate that to upper management.”

Cindy Stovall, CPMSM, director of medical staff services at Cameron Memorial Medical Hospital in Indiana, has two points to make on this matter. First, she recommends MSPs get involved with administration and medical staff leadership so that they are fully aware of how they can help them save time, money, and frustration while promoting patient quality. She says, “For example, if they are working on a new contract with a group to provide services, the MSO office has a unique viewpoint on some elements that may be overlooked, such as MS bylaw requirements and specific malpractice limits, or just making sure the contract says they will following the MS requirements.

Stovall continues, “Second, you have to tell your story! It is easy to just keep our heads down and churn out work. But document your successes and challenges through A3s or some other goal-tracking mechanism and share that data. Even when a goal doesn’t work out as you had hoped, it shows your department is striving to improve. You may be surprised that other departments can offer suggestions or assistance once they know what you are working on.”

Haskell went on to describe MSPs as the “first line of defense in patient safety. If we don’t do our jobs correctly, patients suffer and the hospital is more at risk. When someone says, ‘Oh, they aren’t revenue generating,’ I quickly remind them how much litigation costs. If I do my job effectively and efficiently, the providers are credentialed properly and are revenue generating.”

Julie A. Metzger, CPCS, medical staff services coordinator at Mercy Health Willard Hospital in Willard, Ohio, says MSPs are perhaps most valuable as a staff resource. She believes the most important thing they offer their employer and patients is their ability to “identify red flags in files.” They also have knowledge of the hospital’s bylaws, policies, and TJC standards. “MSPs can get answers to physicians’ questions if they don’t know them,” Metzger states.

Each of our interviewees also had advice for young MSPs who are new on the job who might be reading this. Haskell remembers a time when she didn’t even know this career existed before applying for the job. “The position can be completely overwhelming,” she says. “So many rules, so many things to track, so many things to remember. My best advice [is to] stick with it. You will learn the ins and outs, and you will gain the needed knowledge.”

Metzger also described the job as “continuous learning year after year.” For her part, Schaan advised, “Whatever you do, do it consistently.” Stovall picked up on the continuous learning, urging those just starting out to: “Join NAMSS and your state association! They have amazing resources that can help you and can connect you with a mentor or a group of contacts that will help you.”

And definitely tout #MSPWeek starting Nov. 3. Surely, one of our interviewees was going to use the occasion to party, right? Nah! Too much work. Perhaps Metzger has the best laid plans: “I am a one-person department currently covering two small rural facilities. So, it is just me to celebrate, and I will be celebrating by having lunch at a special restaurant!”