5/30/2007
What Makes a Great Board Chair?
 Center Online Resources


By Beverly Behan and C.J. Bolster
Source: May 2007 issue of Trustee Magazine

Board chairs have the potential to affect virtually every aspect of their institution positively. They may influence: the future direction and performance of their hospital or health system; the leadership team’s careers; the organization’s physicians, patients, and employees; the overall health and social fabric of the community; and the economic vitality of the communities they serve. The position carries tremendous weight and responsibility while offering the opportunity for personal fulfillment. It can be tremendously challenging , but recognizing some fundamental precepts can help pave the way for success.

The chair creates the climate in which the board operates. Great board chairs typically create an environment characterized by openness, candor, positive energy and commitment to the mission of the organization. They often begin by creating a set of board expectations shortly after taking office.

While it is often relatively simple for a chair to develop a list of his or her own expectations, this exercise is most powerful when the chair gets input at the outset from the CEO, fellow trustees and other members of senior management, asking, among other things: What does the board expect of management? What can and should management expect of the board? What are individual trustees’ expectations?

Setting these types of board/management expectations is key to achieving organizational success. Not only does this activity demonstrate to trustees and senior executives how they are likely to work together under the new chair’s leadership, it can also provide the incoming chair with important insights into board-management dynamics.

One chair with whom we have worked discovered that his trustee colleagues were confused about their responsibilities for donations and fund raising. Always a thorny subject, his predecessor had avoided dealing with it because of the awkwardness inherent in conversations about these issues. The new chair, however, refused to ignore the topics. By addressing donations and fund raising in an open board discussion, he accomplished two things: first, long-standing issues that had confused and concerned many trustees were resolved; and second, he garnered a huge measure of respect from the board because he was willing to confront sensitive topics.

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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

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Member Spotlight


INTEGRIS Health Charter School Honored

Center member INTEGRIS Health was honorded by The Center for Education Reform for operating an Oklahoma City elementary school that was named as a Charter School of the Year. Western Village Academy was one of 53 charter schools in the nation to receive the distinction. “This is a wonderful tribute to years of hard work and dedication of our talented and dedicated faculty and staff at WVA, and our extended family of supporters; the INTEGRIS board of directors who remain committed to making a difference for these children; 300 devoted mentors who give of themselves each week; supportive parents, a host of caring volunteers, and all of those who have made school choice a possibility in Oklahoma,” said WVA Director Tobi Campbell.

INTEGRIS operates the school as part of its commitment to improving the health of the communities it serves. The program received an AHA NOVA Award in 2001.

INTEGRIS Web site.
Member Survey

Recently all Center members were emailed about participating in a member survey to help the Center for Healthcare Governance bring about a thorough understanding of the informational needs of our members for the development of effective governance. If you have participated, we thank you for your time and appriciate your input.

If you have not had a chance to complete the questionnaire, we ask you to please do so by Monday, June 4th. It will take just a few moments of your time to complete. Your personal support and expertise will provide important building blocks to our long-term strategy and development initiatives.

As a small token of our appreciation for your participation, you will receive a complimentary copy of the recent publication Strategies for Strengthening Physician-Hospital Alignment: A National Study.

We guarantee that all data will be kept strictly confidential and that no individual data will be communicated externally.

Please click here to begin the survey.


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

Book Now!
Hotel Special Room Rate
Extended until Monday, June 4th!!

The Center for Healthcare Governance is pleased to present “Critical Issues in Health Care 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
Symposium Information

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 Nathan Kaufman.

Nathan Kaufman


More Information on the
Center's Speakers Express