4/18/2007
Center Voices - Beyond Governance Reform
 Center Online Resources


Beyond Governance Reform: The Road to Exceptional Governance

By Mary K. Totten

For the past decade, governance reform has been a consistent theme surrounding the work of both public companies and nonprofit boards. It’s a rare board member who has not heard of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or the numerous rules, regulations and other business and investor protection initiatives intended to engage boards in actively and independently overseeing their organizations.

Most boards also understand that while these reforms technically only apply to for-profit companies with publicly traded stock, they are being used to define best practices and standards of good governance for all boards, regard-less of profit status.

All efforts at governance reform have been designed to help hospital boards raise the bar on their performance and accountability.

Most of them, however, focus on structural or process-oriented recommendations, such as delineating the com-position of key board committees, setting policies for managing director turnover, establishing board committee charters or conducting new directors’ orientation.

They generally offer prescriptive advice that tells boards to “develop and recommend policies and procedures” or “evaluate board and leadership performance periodically.”

They are long on the what of improving board performance, but often fall short of showing exactly how to get the job done.

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Blue Ribbon Panel on Health Care Governance

Building an
Exceptional Board:
Effective Practices for Health Care Governance
Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Health Care Governance

More Information
Center Sponsors Trustee Educational Sessions at 2007 AHA Annual Meeting

2007 AHA ANNUAL MEETING TRUSTEE PROGRAMMING

Hear the latest on governance issues from leading experts while attending the AHA Annual Membership Meeting. The Center will be sponsoring a series of Trustee Educational Sessions during the Meeting, May 6-9 in Washington, DC. You can register for these programs when you register for the AHA Annual Membership Meeting. We hope you’ll take advantage of this educational opportunity.

Click here for a more detailed description of each program.
Member Spotlight


Center Member, Lakeview Medical Center, was recently featured on the Hospitals Caring for Communities Web site as an example that Hospitals are more than emergency departments, birthing centers and outpatient clinics. Lakeview Medical Center is just one example of how hospitals are making America healthier, community by community.

Barron County Fall Prevention Project
Lakeview Medical Center – Rice Lake, Wisconsin

Summary: According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, more than one-third of adults 65 and older fall each year. To prevent falls and fall-related injuries among older adults, Lakeview Medical Center partnered with others to create a fall prevention project. Originally designed to be a year-long project, the program is now a part of daily operations.

Lakeview Medical Center conducts free balance and strength exercise classes for seniors. If, when a patient is admitted, they are identified as at risk for falls, the patient is referred to a registered nurse that specializes in fall prevention. Additionally, there are continuing medication management awareness presentations to the community.

For more information, click here.

 
June 2007 Conference on
Critical Issues in Health Care System Governance 
Upcoming Events!


Critical Issues in Health Care System Governance
June 19-20, 2007
Loews Philadelphia Hotel - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Center for Healthcare Governance is pleased to present “Critical Issues in HealthCare System Governance,” a national conference structured to address the specific governance needs of health care systems. A key element of the Center’s curriculum-based approach to education, this 1-1/2 day program offers a wealth of information, strategies and best practices for system CEOs, trustees and executive/clinical leadership. Participants will come away with a broader understanding of the complex issues inherent in system governance, as well as a deeper appreciation for the environmental factors challenging systems today.

Special attention will be given to the board’s authority, role and responsibilities in a multi-organizational structure, with a focus on streamlining the structure and maximizing the functioning of system boards, setting strategy, and ensuring quality and patient safety. Presenters will also address issues related to the “glue” of governance — communication, agenda planning, productive leadership retreats, and board engagement, and share strategies for effectively leveraging physician participation in system governance.

Join us to explore how system boards can best balance roles, responsibilities and division of authority with their member hospital boards. You will uncover the essentials of high-performing governance at the system level, while increasing your knowledge of the core business issues facing all health care organizations.

Who Should Attend:

  • Health care delivery system and member hospital CEOs and senior executives
  • Trustees who serve on system boards or on the boards of the system's member hospitals

Learning Objectives

  • Understand how health care system governance differs from governance in independent hospitals
  • Address the specific roles and responsibilities of system boards to chart strategy, promote clinical improvements, and engage physicians across the organization
  • Gain insights into the practices and processes that can improve the performance of system boards
  • Explore how diverse organizational cultures, planning processes, and decision-making approaches can thrive in a multi-hospital system

Conference Web site | Registration Information | Brochure (PDF)

Critical Issues in Health Care System Governance
June 19-20, 2007
Loews Philadelphia Hotel - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Conference Information

Fall Symposium on
Governing & Leading
Healthcare Organizations
September 30-October 3, 2007
San Francisco, California

Winter Symposium on Governing & Leading
Healthcare Organizations
January 6-9, 2008
Naples, Florida
Fall Symposium on
Governing & Leading
Healthcare Organizations
September 14-17, 2008
Boston, Massachusetts
Speaker Spotlight


The Center for Healthcare Governance developed Speakers Express to help make the high-caliber speakers and presenters found at its national symposia and regional workshops available to organizations throughout the country. Our speakers are proven professionals who are viewed as the "go-to" leaders in their respective fields of expertise, customizing their presentations to fit the unique needs of each organization.

The Center for Healthcare Governance introduces Peg C. Neuhauser.

Peg C. Neuhauser


More Information on the
Center's Speakers Express