New trustee services from the AHA

The American Hospital Association recently unveiled a newly refocused set of services for trustees and CEOs specifically designed to support good governance in the changing health care environment and reach the widest hospital and health system audience possible.

This new set of services broadly encompasses four areas:

• Education: Trustee-focused education is being integrated into all of the AHA’s flagship educational events. The first was the 2017 Rural Healthcare Leadership Conference in February, attended by hundreds of trustees. The upcoming AHA Annual Membership Meeting in May, and July’s Leadership Summit also will have trustee tracks. In addition, 12 new 20-minute webinars and a video library are in development for in-boardroom education.
• Resources: As a day-to-day resource, a new section of the AHA website (trustees.aha.org) was launched in early March to provide easy-to-access resources and tools. Guidelines and resources for good governance practices and thought leadership on what it means to be a high-performing board are included, in addition to board-focused primers on the forces transforming the health care field. The site will be updated regularly to address developing issues that could affect your organization and community.
• Quarterly update: Trustee Insights is a quarterly update package for trustees and CEOs that will regularly include briefings on the most-pressing issues facing the field, alongside video content and on-demand webinars that can be used for in-boardroom education and discussion. The first Trustee Insights was just released and focuses on the recent, big changes to Medicare’s physician payment system and what they mean for hospitals, physicians and boards. Additional topics include information technology interoperability, ensuring access to care in vulnerable communities, board committee orientation and next-generation board development. Send an email to trustees@aha.org to have Trustee Insights delivered directly to your inbox.
• Engagement: Expanded initiatives are in development to strengthen trustees’ abilities as community leaders to tell the hospital/health system story in their communities and with legislators. In addition, opportunities for trustee involvement in the AHA policy development process will continue to expand.

As this new set of trustee services continues to grow, the AHA welcomes feedback about how to make these initiatives most relevant and practical for your use. Send the AHA an email with your thoughts to trustees@aha.org.

Andy Stern (andystern@sunwestpr.com) is chair of the American Hospital Association Committee on Governance and a trustee of Medical City Dallas Hospital in Dallas.