While boards shape organizational priorities in many ways, they do so primarily through the CEO. In the Center's newly published monograph, David A. Bjork, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Senior Advisor of the Executive Total Compensation practice at Integrated Healthcare Strategies, shows boards how to make quality a higher priority for health care organizations.

In Putting Quality First: How Boards Can Make Quality Improvement a Higher Priority, Bjork discusses a variety of formal and informal processes that boards can use to elevate quality on the organization's agenda, focusing on various aspects of the performance management process, beginning with the job description. Several sample statements of accountability for quality are included, illustrating how the focus of accountability differs among key organizational leaders and staff. He describes how boards can set clear performance expectations and includes examples that are concise and measureable.

A Top 10 List is included to show boards how to use the performance appraisal process to place a higher priority on quality improvement. Bjork also provides a portion of a sample performance appraisal questionnaire to help boards assess CEO performance on a number of key accountabilities and goals for improving quality. He discusses common weaknesses in setting performance goals and lists examples of clear and vague goals for boards to consider. He also shows boards how to use the incentive compensation process to place greater emphasis on clinical quality improvement.

The monograph also includes several scenarios followed by questions for discussion to help boards apply the information they have learned to improving quality in their own organizations.

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Winter Symposium on Governing & Leading Healthcare Organizations
February 15-18, 2009
Phoenix, Arizona

Fall Symposium on Governing & Leading Healthcare Organizations
September 13-16, 2009
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia


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The Center for Healthcare Governance wants members to be as connected as possible to our governance consultants. Being able to ask questions online and receive responses back quickly will ensure you'll find the answers and resources to help you achieve excellence in health care governance.

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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 Paul H. Keckley, Ph.D., a healthcare economist, researcher and policy expert whose 30 year career includes leadership roles in the private sector of academic medicine. Learn more about Paul H. Keckley, Ph.D., below:

Paul H. Keckley, Ph.D. Speaker Bio Presentation Topics

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