What Is...Medical Staff Peer Review

What Constitutes the Medical Staff?

1.1 What Is the Medical Staff Membership and Its Relationship to the Hospital?

The term medical staff in the context of a hospital refers to an organized body of licensed physicians (MD and DO), dentists (DDS and DDM), and other healthcare providers (including podiatrists and psychologists) who are authorized by state law and by a hospital through its medical staff Bylaws to provide medical care to patients within the hospital. Some hospitals include allied health professionals (e.g., nurse practitioners, physician assistants, surgical assistants, and doctors of pharmacy) and postgraduate trainees (e.g., residents and fellows) within the term medical staff, although hospitals are not legally required to include these nonphysician practitioners on their medical staff. Furthermore, although a significant portion of the hospital’s medical staff may be employees of the hospital, the majority are not employees.¹ They are often independent healthcare providers who have been credentialed and granted privileges to render medical care at the hospital.