Governance Effectiveness
Louise Michaux Gonzales was elected chair of the board of trustees of the University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore. Calvin G. Butler Jr., Harriet E. Cooperman, Carol L. Coughlin, Mark L. Joseph, Tim Regan and Deborah Trautman, R.N., were also elected to the board.
Physician engagement is paramount as hospitals and health systems navigate the transition from volume to value. And yet, it won't be enough to ensure organizational success. As the hospital field tackles clinical integration, population health and performance improvement to drive transformational…
Nearly every day, the news brings word of another data breach at a major corporation. Hospitals and health systems are not immune to this danger, and more importantly, they are part of the United States’ critical infrastructure — that is, their systems and assets are considered so vital…
The typical hospital's electronic health record system represents a sizable sunk cost on which executive managers normally would want to get a long return on investment. But in a merger with another health system, writing off the IT might be the right thing for the overall merger goals.
Incentive compensation plans are intended to focus executives’ attention on their organizations’ most vital priorities and initiatives. As health care organizations revise their business strategies to address the ongoing transformation of care delivery and payment, health care boards…
Trustees are accountable for ensuring that continuous quality improvement processes are in place throughout their health care organization. But, as the board sets direction during this period of dramatic change and payer, government and media scrutiny, it must first implement and develop its own…
A strong, consistent governance and leadership focus on doing what’s best for patients and communities is positioning physician organizations as significant drivers of improved quality and financial performance and as architects of the new care delivery system.
This is one of the key findings of a…
Snapshot One of the first decisions that merging organizations must make is what to do with legacy information systems, and the answer isn’t always obvious. Standardizing around a current system, interfacing two disparate platforms or starting over with a third solution all have benefits and…
Twice a year, the American Hospital Association’s Center for Healthcare Governance convenes board and C-suite members for education and discussion and, twice a year, governance consultant Jamie Orlikoff throws icy water in our collective faces with his provocative opening presentations. He…
Snapshot Faced with growing financial responsibility for their health care, individuals are behaving more like consumers when making care decisions. They want more information, more convenience and better service than many hospitals currently provide. Forward-thinking health systems already are…