February 12-14, 2007 – Trustees, CEOs, and executive/clinical leadership gathered at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ, for the Center's National Symposium on Governing and Leading Healthcare Organizations. At this three-day program, attendees explored the exemplary governance practices that are generating improved organizational performance. The theme surrounding the annual winter program was The Reality of Governance Reform: Best Practices for Building Governance Value.

A dynamic opening address delivered by James E. Orlikoff on the current health care trends and their impact on governance today set the stage for the Symposium's strategy sessions. Rich Umbenstock, the AHA’s new president and CEO, then followed by addressing the ongoing challenges in health care and the leadership imperatives for health care governance. Connie Curran then discussed the challenges of attracting and maintaining a workforce to successfully deliver high-quality and reliable care. The afternoon’s breakout strategy sessions both examined the Blue Ribbon Panel report on health care governance: Kevin Fickenscher discussed board and CEO evaluation and Kathryn Mc Donagh spoke on governance practices that improve both boards and their hospitals. Kerry Garrigan of NC Baptist and Loren Applebaum of DDI focused on building leadership teams that drive performance, while Blair Sadler, former CEO of the Rader Children’s Hospital and Senior Fellow at IHI, expanded on the business case for building better hospitals.

The second day started with David Nash discussing the leadership imperative for quality and safety and was followed by a compelling presentation by Orin Harari on a new model of governance that supports innovation. The day’s breakout strategy sessions featured James E. Orlikoff discussing how to build better board-CEO relationships. Orin Harari and George Lynn, CEO of AtantiCare and immediate past chair of the AHA, continued the conversation on innovation from Harari’s morning keynote, and David Speltz and Jan Radke of Huron Consulting elaborated on ensuring clinical transparency. Osama Mikhail of UT School of Public Health and John R. Combes, M.D., president and COO of the Center for Healthcare Governance, discussed a quality curriculum for trustees, a new Center resource.

On the final day, Paul Schyve of JCAHO presided over a valuable session on the new leadership standards from the Joint Commission. Stephen A. Williams, president and CEO of Norton Healthcare, presented an outstanding session on the governance commitment to transparency by publicly reporting over 400 clinical quality indicators, plus its patient satisfaction scores and financial performance. The final conference presentation featured Tim Porter-O’Grady challenging trustees to create leadership based on a new language and expectations for their organizations.

Overall, the event received excellent feedback from several of the participants:

• "The program was well organized and paced appropriately. This was our organization’s first time at a Center program. We will be back!"
• "Good information, both for new trustees and returning ones!"
• "The programs on quality were right on the mark. I found the succession planning breakout very helpful and practical."
• "The networking opportunities were wonderful."
• "The speakers were excellent and I heard a great deal of information that I can use back at our hospital."

The Center staff would like to extend special thanks to each of our members who showed their support by attending the Symposium, as well as to our outstanding faculty, whose contributions once again ensured a high-quality program. We also would like to recognize the continued support of all our affiliate members, including Korn/Ferry International, who generously sponsored the well-attended Networking Reception, as well as CareTech Solutions, Clark Consulting – Healthcare Group, DDI, Huron Consulting, Russell Reynolds Associates, Emergency and Acute Care Medical Corporation, and Foley and Lardner.

Finally, we would like to thank those who attended a Center event for the first time as non-members. We sincerely hope that this Symposium was both a unique and positive experience for each of you, and that we can look forward to you joining us as members to gain access to the full range of benefits the Center provides. We look forward to seeing you at a Center conference in 2007.

Board Chairs and CEOs: Partners in Leadership
Garden of the Gods Club
Colorado Springs, Colorado
March 25-27, 2007

The effort to build a strong and cohesive relationship between the Board Chair and the CEO is integral to board effectiveness, one requiring continuous attention as well as mutual respect for each other’s viewpoints, so that the goal to deliver on and advance the mission of the institution can be fulfilled.

Under the tutelage of two highly experienced and engaging Harvard University scholars, Richard Chait, Ph.D., and Cathy Trower, Ph.D., participants will engage in short presentations and case studies; interactive one-on-one team exercises; small working group discussions; and individual analysis and reflection to come away with an improved understanding and appreciation for the role of the Board Chair and the CEO in achieving health care governance excellence. 

Partners in Leadership offers a unique opportunity to step outside the confines of the boardroom, meet alongside peer institutions, and explore topics that will enhance the Board Chair/CEO relationship, focusing on best practices and strategies designed to fortify board operations and strengthen institutional goals. Each team should come prepared to engage in open and honest dialogue, explore the multi-dimensional nature of their relationship, and resolve to improve the way they cooperate to address strategic challenges.

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