The Disruptive Physician Practitioner: A Danger to the Hospital’s Operation
  • CODE : WICO-0024
  • Duration : 60 Minutes
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William Mack Copeland, MS, JD, PhD, LFACHE, practices health care law in Harrison, Ohio at the firm of Copeland Law, LLC and often serves as hearing officer in medical staff disciplinary proceedings. A graduate of Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Bill is a frequent author and speaker on health law topics. Copeland is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, American, Ohio and Cincinnati Bar Associations. A former hospital chief executive officer, he is a life fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He was awarded the American College of Health Care Executives Senior-Level Healthcare Executive




Most disciplinary policies are progressive. A progressive policy applies increasingly more severe sanctions to additional incidents of bad behavior. It is very important that the organized medical staff have a disruptive practitioner policy. This webinar will discuss the development of such a policy, including what it should include, and how it should be implemented.

It is also important to understand what constitutes disruptive behavior. Disruptive behavior includes violent or verbally abusive activity, but it is not limited to such behavior. This webinar with review several actual examples of disruptive behavior that has been the subject of action brought in court.

Disruptive activity takes many forms. Understanding that, this webinar will discuss the steps that the hospital and/or the medical staff should take to see that it does not affect patient care or disrupt operations. 

Many times, the medical staff management simply condones the problem of the disruptive practitioner until it gets to a point where it can no longer be ignored. However, if the steps outlined in this webinar are taken, there will be ample evidence that this is a continuing problem and the staff has made every effort to correct it without resorting to an adverse action. This procedure also provides documentation that the medical executive committee took the adverse action based on a substantial factual basis and that its action was not arbitrary, unreasonable or capricious.

Areas Covered

  • Disruptive practitioner policies
  • Corrective action procedures
  • What constitutes disruptive behavior
  • Steps the hospital and/or the medical staff should take to see that the disruptive activity does not affect patient care or disrupt operations

Course Level - Intermediate

Who Should Attend

  • Hospital executives
  • Medical staff officers
  • Physicians who serve on peer review committees
  • Medical staff support staff, and
  • Attorneys representing medical staffs

Why Should You Attend

Hospital executives, medical staff officers, and peer review committee members and support staff should attend to learn how to deal effectively with the disruptive practitioner. You will also learn how to prepare for the day when it becomes necessary to terminate such a practitioner’s privileges and medical staff membership.

You will also gain an understanding of how to develop provisions in the medical staff bylaws to deal with the disruptive practitioner and how to develop a clear and concise policy regarding disruptive behavior. We will discuss the elements of an effective policy and the actions that should be taken to develop progressive discipline and/or sanctions that should be taken before taking action under the corrective action procedures.

It is very important to demonstrate that this disruptive behavior is a continuing problem; therefore, appropriate documentation is imperative. You will discover how to create a record of this continuing problem and the efforts taken by the organization to combat the problem.

Topic Background

Disruptive activity by practitioners in the hospital takes many forms. When it happens, it is important that the hospital and/or the medical staff take appropriate steps to see that it does not affect patient care or disrupt operations.

  • $200.00



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