Healthcare Governance : A Guide for Effective Boards

Hospital and health system board members face increasing challenges, with healthcare reform and other laws demanding improved accountability and efficiency. This handbook reveals the secrets of effective board structure and function, including responsibilities of board members, term limits, recruiting new members, and working with the CEO. Other aspects of a boards work, including monitoring quality, providing financial oversight, and completing a self- assessment process, are also covered. Sample forms and documents, a glossary of common healthcare terms, and a conflict of interest policy are included. Board members, regardless of their expertise, will find this handbook easy to navigate. Errol L. Biggs, PhD, FACHE, is director, Center for Health Administration, and director, Programs in Health Administration, University of Colorado. Dr. Biggs primary research and consulting activities include working with hospitals and medical group practices to improve governance of those organizations. He teaches governance in the graduate "on-campus" program and the Executive Program in Health Administration at the University of Colorado. Dr. Biggs has been involved in both the investor-owned and nonprofit hospital industry, having been the CEO for 12 years of large teaching hospitals.