MOC Medical Staff Bylaws

The American Medical Association responded to members requesting help with outdated or unruly medical staff bylaws by publishing a model guide for AMA members. This tool provides extensive education on the need for equitable bylaws and examples you can use as starting points for your own bylaws. A full copy can be obtained on the AMA’s website here for AMA members. Of importance to this Playbook is the section addressing Board Certification and MOC, for which the AMA has graciously granted us permission to reprint that section below. These are merely a model and can be modified to accommodate the wishes of the collective medical staff. We encourage you to review these sample bylaws with your colleagues and make changes as necessary.
MSMA legal staff can help identify language to be changed or updated.
Do not use attorneys hired by the hospital and expect an outcome that is favorable to physicians.

Physician medical staff members and applicants shall:

Be currently or have been certified by [insert list of certifying boards approved by the medical staff] in a specialty that encompasses the privileges held or sought; or
Have met the training and education requirements for and are in the process of obtaining certification from [insert list of certifying boards approved by the medical staff], which must be obtained within six years from date of initial medical staff membership to be eligible for membership renewal; or
Have successfully completed at least a two-year postgraduate training program in the specialty in which privileges are held or sought, which program was, at the time attended, accredited by the American Council of Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, and can document experience and demonstrate competence that is determined by the credentials committee and approved by the executive committee to be equivalent of that described in this subsection.