Governance Effectiveness

The community health needs assessment has the potential to be a transformative driver for understanding and addressing the health needs of a hospital’s patient population — and meeting population health goals.
Hospitals and health systems throughout the country face many of the same challenges. One of the most dangerous — and almost always overlooked (if an organization is even aware of it) — is the persistent use of inconsistent terminology. When there are a lack of rules guiding…
Hospitals and health systems are under attack from new forms of viruses every day. But some of these viruses don’t attack the human body. As recent news reports have highlighted, hospitals and health systems are now prime targets for malicious malware viruses that seek to infiltrate…
Relationships between health systems and physicians have undergone significant change in recent years as the health care field transforms into a value-based system of quality, patient satisfaction and cost effectiveness. As health care organizations seek the clinical integration necessary to…
Competition, finance reform and the ever-changing demands of the marketplace have put increased pressure on hospital boards to contemplate an important question: What kind of CEO will be most successful in navigating these turbulent times?
“I do not remember any of my political manoeuvres, the success of which gave me at the time more pleasure ...” — Benjamin Franklin, on his role in founding the first hospital in the American colonies   In May 1751, Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin created…
Iron lungs out. Surgical robots in. The heart-wrenching sight of rows of children trapped in iron lungs has given way to the ability to transplant lungs. As stewards of the strategic direction of their organizations, trustees must understand how new technology can shape and advance strategy. In…
Health care is a fundamental right — a civil right and a human right. Statistically, however, underserved patient populations, often minority groups, receive the worst care nationwide. While daily work at hospitals and health systems is driven by clinicians, staff and executives committed…
Hospitals and health systems are working hard to achieve the Triple Aim — improving the patient experience of care (both quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations and reducing the per capita cost of health care.
Merriam-Webster offers one definition of revolution as “a sudden, extreme, or complete change in the way people live, work, etc.” That sounds pretty darn close to what hospital and health system leaders — including board members like yourself — are dealing with right now,…