Checklist for Boards on Physician Engagement

(Developed by Dr. Chris Hayes, Medical Officer, Canadian Patient Safety Institute, in consultation with Steering Committee)

Function and Purpose:  What will we do?

• Do you have an MD Director or physician leader(s) responsible for quality and safety at your organization?
• What are processes by which a physician leader is selected?
• Do they have a charter of roles and responsibilities?
  Are their accountability relationships clear?

Structure:  How should we be working together?

• Does the physician leader receive organizational clinical performance data on quality and safety indicators?
• Does the physician leader report regularly to the board?

Process:  How will we do what we set out to do?

• How is the physician leader supported as a quality champion at our organization?
• How can the physician leader lead other physicians within our organization?

Culture and Patterns of Behavior:  What are some 'simple rules’ of MD-Board relations?

• Is the mission/vision of the organization guiding everything that we do?

What is the role of a Regional Physician Advisory Committee or Medical Advisory Committee?

• Does a physician advisory committee review and respond to quality and safety data?
• Does a physician advisory committee initiate or sponsor quality improvement activity and projects?
• Does a physician advisory committee report to the board on quality and safety matters?