The hospital’s Board of Trustees (or Managers or Directors), is an individual who voluntarily serves on the governing body of a hospital or health care organization. Hospital trustees are responsible for one of the most important assets in the community, the hospital. Governance of hospitals and health systems has taken on new significance in the past decade. Research has documented that good governance has a direct impact on the overall performance of the organization.
How are hospital board members selected?
Hospital board members can be publicly elected or appointed by the hospital board or a government entity. Board members represent a link between community interests and needs and the health care organization. Typically, trustees are from diverse backgrounds, including health care, finance, law, or business, and leverage their collective expertise to facilitate decision-making and policy development.
What is the role of the hospital board?
Hospital boards play a crucial role in governance, overseeing strategic direction, financial stewardship, and care quality. Additionally, trustees ensure regulatory compliance, and make resource allocation decisions, helping hospitals operate efficiently and effectively.
What do hospital board members do?
Hospital trustees have the legal responsibility for the operation of the hospital as well as overall quality, and patient safety and satisfaction. Hospital board members are entrusted with the governance and oversight of hospital operations through the establishment of policies, formulation of strategic objectives, and maintenance of financial well-being. They are tasked with monitoring the delivery of care, advocating for community interests, ensuring adherence to regulatory standards, and assessing leadership efficacy. Their pivotal roles are instrumental in effectively serving the community and advancing the hospital’s mission.
How do board members ensure quality of care?
The hospital board has important duties to make sure patients get safe, high-quality care. They set rules, watch over the hospital’s quality, and help with planning and managing resources like money. These board members are responsible for leading the hospital and setting a positive example for everyone who works there.
Each year, the board creates goals focused on patient safety and quality. They also work to build a culture of safety in the hospital, making sure everyone stays focused on keeping patients safe. Board members represent everyone in the community, including people who might one day be hospital patients. Making the hospital safer and better for patients is the board’s most important job.
How do Hospital boards make decisions?
Board members make informed decisions by putting in a reasonable effort to become familiar with the relevant facts that are available, as part of their fiduciary duty of care. Boards should ensure that management provides complete information for informed decision-making, and individual board members must take the time to review the information before the board meeting.
The board doesn’t usually interfere in daily operations but oversees management and makes key strategic decisions, including authorizing major financial transactions and hiring senior officers while ensuring the organization’s adherence to its mission and values.
Perhaps the greatest service an individual can contribute to the hospital and the community is to work tirelessly to be an outstanding governing board member. Time and dedication are essential to effective performance. As health care becomes increasingly complex board members are tasked with navigating volatility and have greater responsibility in their expertise and oversight of the hospital. Serving on a hospital board is a great way to give back to your community and help it prepare for the future.