It is generally suggested that disruptive physicians be counseled by someone outside of the practice. This helps eliminate concerns about internal practice politics and can lessen the physician’s defensiveness. Make sure to hire someone who has a good understanding of the law and is sensitive to the personal interactions within the practice.
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May 2016“I really don’t think that the dynamics of these concerns are very different whether we are talking about academic medical centers, large groups, or small practices,” said Dr. Sataloff. “The friendships and relationships are very similar across these settings. All types of physician settings can experience these problems.”
Kurt Ullman is a freelance medical writer based in Indiana.
For More Information
Visit these organizations’ websites on how to manage disruptive colleagues.
- American College of Surgeons—Statements on Principles.
- American Medical Association—Physicians with Disruptive Behavior.
- College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta—Code of Conduct: Expectations of Professionalism.
- Tennessee Medical Foundation—Disruptive Behavior Involving Members of the Medical Staff.
Action Steps
Leigh Olson, owner of Nova Consulting and co-creator of Master Series Seminars, both in Denver, suggests a series of steps to determine the cause of a physician’s disruptive behavior and reach a conclusion about the action that is needed to correct the problem.
Steps to follow include:
- Conducting one-on-one personality assessments with doctors and staff to look at problematic stressors, individual communication styles, and reactions;
- Crafting team agreements among individuals that go beyond the employee handbook policies; and
- Establishing a process for one-on-one mediation to devise personal agreements among colleagues.