Trustee Articles
Now that the Affordable Care Act has been upheld, it appears that the American health care delivery system is about to embark on unprecedented change. This transition encompasses a staggering number of issues: integration and physician alignment; significant reduction in Medicare reimbursement;…
As boards navigate between today’s fragmented, volume-focused health care system and a system that is more integrated and value-driven, there are plenty of issues that keep trustees up at night (see Figure 1). Are the transformational changes now confronting health care organizations affecting the…
In the publication, authors Joshi and Horak state that hospital trustees support hospitals’ fundamental missions to improve the health of the community. In a climate of growing concerns about the quality of health care and the amount we pay for it, trustees are called upon to oversee the…
Board support is essential in helping doctors take on and succeed in leadership roles. The emerging health care environment requires far more physician leadership than has been needed in the past. But there is a natural barrier to physicians who answer the call to lead, and it is best described as…
A reason for being. An organization’s purpose or identity. An expression of what an organization believes it must be to best meet the needs of its stakeholders. These are descriptions of what we commonly think of as “mission.” Members of a health care organization’s board are responsible for…
The AHA’s 2011 Governance Survey shows that good governance practices continue to take hold among hospitals and health systems. Driven by powerful economic pressures and stringent legal requirements to be visionary, strategic, diligent and independent, boards are applying various “good governance”…
Four basic rules can help boards make better executive compensation decisions. While boards and their compensation committees do a good job of overseeing executive compensation, there are several common flaws in what is otherwise a strong process.
Given the nature and challenges of small, elected boards, choosing to look inward and improve governance is no easy decision.
The relationship between boards and chief executive officers can be fraught with challenges, and trustees often are unsure of how to handle certain delicate situations. But using a framework of etiquette can provide guidance.
Bringing new members onto the board has its challenges. In small or rural communities, the pool of potential trustees is often limited, with desirable candidates already serving on multiple boards. Even in bigger urban areas, it sometimes seems the same people rotate on and off the boards of larger…