Resource Library

The best boards revisit their committee structures, responsibilities and information flow to ensure detailed oversight while devoting more time to strategic and policy issues.

The road to integration of hospitals and physicians has been a rocky one for many health care organizations. Failed attempts to integrate in the 1990s resulted from the realization that operating physician practices was very different from operating hospitals, leaving many health care providers wary of heading down the same road again.

The Hospital System Board of Trustees Quality Committee shall meet quarterly in order to provide: Visibility and focus for the organization’s commitment to the delivery of high quality medical care; Oversight of quality and performance improvement initiatives across the Hospital System.

High-performing boards across the country have made great strides in enhancing their effectiveness and efficiency.

As health care field changes become more complex, savvy board and executive leaders are intentionally increasing the time that their boards spend in robust discussions of strategic challenges and opportunities.

Here are some of the questions that we as governance consultants hear most frequently about board committees.

How well boards govern is influenced by a number of factors, among them, the knowledge and skills board members bring to their work.

Working committees are the engine that powers effective boards. As their responsibilities increase, boards depend on their committees to engage in careful analysis and oversight of the organizationʼs performance plus a thorough vetting of recommendations before they are submitted to the full board. When committees do their job well and make concise reports to the board, they free up time to use full board meetings for education and open discussion on important strategic and policy issues.