QUESTION:
Our Medical Staff uses the term “focused professional practice evaluation” to describe the review that we undertake after a physician, or other practitioner, has been granted initial or new privileges.  We view this routine process as a way to confirm that the practitioner is competent to exercise the privileges they have been granted.  But we also use “focused professional practice evaluation” when clinical concerns have been raised about an existing member.  Sometimes it gets confusing since the same term is being used in different ways.  Do you have any suggestions?

ANSWER FROM HORTYSPRINGER ATTORNEY SUSAN LAPENTA:
This is actually a great question and if it helps, you are not alone in your confusion.  The terms “focused professional practice evaluation” and “ongoing professional practice evaluation” come from The Joint Commission.  Even for hospitals that are not accredited by The Joint Commission, this nomenclature is often used.

It has never been clear why The Joint Commission decided to use the term, “focused professional practice evaluation,” to describe two very different stages of the peer review process.  To help distinguish the two stages of the process, we use clarifying terms like “initial” (“I-FPPE”) or “routine” (“R-FPPE”), to refer to the review process that occurs when new privileges are granted.  We then use a slightly different qualifier to describe the evaluation that occurs when there is a clinical concern raised about an existing member.  For instance, we sometimes call this “professional practice evaluation” (“PPE”) or focused professional practice evaluation to evaluate concerns (“FPPE-EC”).

Most medical staffs don’t want to deviate too far from the nomenclature used by The Joint Commission, but you do have some flexibility.  Some clarification or distinction in the terms used is probably helpful.  You can also follow the lead of George Foreman (who named all of his sons George), or Dr. Seuss (remember Thing 1 and Thing 2), and just use FPPE-1 and FPPE-2.

If you have a quick question about this, e-mail us at info@hortyspringer.com.