Mahmoodian v United addressed disruptive behavior. What action can hospitals take if such behavior affects patient care?

• A. Revoke otherwise competent physician's privileges if disruptive behavior affects patient care
• B. Disruptive behavior cannot affect credentialing
• C. Disruptive behavior only affects performance reviews
• D. Disruptive behavior must be tolerated during rounds

Answer: (A)

Disruptive behavior that affects patient safety is a patient-care issue, not just a personnel annoyance, so hospitals have authority to act through credentialing and privileging processes. In Mahmoodian v United, the court affirmed that a hospital can revoke the privileges of a physician who, while competent, engages in disruptive conduct that compromises patient care. The privilege to treat is conditional on maintaining professional behavior, and when disruption directly endangers patients, removing privileges is a legitimate safeguard to protect care quality.

This isn’t just about performance reviews or tolerating behavior during rounds; disruptive conduct that harms care is within the scope of credentialing actions, including revocation.