The Governance Institute's Blue Ribbon Committee on Hospital and Health System Board Assessment

The Governance Institute’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Hospital and Health System Board Assessment has released its report The Governance Advantage: Four Considerations for Hospital and Health System Board Assessment. The committee comprises experienced chief executives, board members, academics, governance leaders, and healthcare and capital market experts, including Tom O’Neil.

The committee set out to identify where board assessment can make the greatest contribution to stronger governance. Boards have long provided stability for their institutions and communities. The committee believes pent-up forces—including affordability and reimbursement pressure, demographic change, workforce constraints, and rapidly advancing technology—create greater volatility and place a premium on board effectiveness.

The committee believes boards should focus assessment on four considerations:

1. Effective governance is a strategic advantage worth investment.
2. Effective governance requires ongoing self-improvement.
3. Effective governance is fueled by board member fluency.
4. Effective governance must keep pace with what the committee refers to as the Great Governance Migration.

The committee’s message is that effective governance does not result from structure, good intentions, or assessment alone. It requires continuing investment in the people, processes, fluency, and relationships through which boards govern. The four considerations provide a practical way for each organization to determine where that investment can make the greatest difference.