Resource Library

A Board Orientation Manual reinforces information provided during orientation seminars. Consider these items in custom-designing an orientation manual for your board.

Expert guidance to help leaders set priorities, make the right decisions and improve results...

To expedite the conduct of routine business during board meetings in order to allocate more meeting time to education and discussion of substantive issues.

From time to time as provided in the bylaws, the Board may designate the Vice Chairperson as a Chair-Elect. In such cases, the Chair-Elect’s responsibilities go beyond the usual role of a Vice Chair to lead the board in the Chairperson’s absence. The responsibilities of a Chair Elect include...

Governance responsibilities today are so significant that board members must bring more than commitment to the mission and interest in serving. As William Bowen writes, every trustee should bring a “specific competence or experience needed on the board.” This sample provides a board policy statement on competency-based recruitment, election and re-election of board members. Use it to customize a process for your board.

All new board members should participate in an orientation process shortly after election to the board. To design your board’s orientation process, consider these best practices.

A decade ago, BoardSource, an organization supporting nonprofit boards, developed a well known list of aspirational principles of governance. For us they still ring true: “mission driven,” “ethos of transparency,” “compliance with integrity.”

To clarify the difference between the board’s policy making responsibilities and management’s operational responsibilities.

Be sure every member fully understands his or her accountability, responsibilities and the expectations of the office, and document it all in a written position description...

Boards can play a key role in guiding, supporting young health system leaders

Hospitals’ and health systems’ accountability and commitment to their communities are not only for the care provided within the organizations’ walls, but also for improving the overall health of the communities they serve. Many are acting on that commitment by striving to achieve the goals of the Triple Aim.

Innovation can fuel the organizational agility necessary to achieve breakthrough levels of value and performance in health care. This Workbook describes a four-step process that health system boards and leaders can use to develop a sustainable innovation capability. Drawing techniques and perspectives from health care and other fields, the approach facilitates organization-specific solutions.

Lessons Learned from Foster G. McGaw Prize Recipients Community Partnership Profiles - Advances in Health Care Governance Series

This checklist poses questions about whether your board is following recommended practices for strategic planning.

This report discusses the complex challenges involved in community health improvement and makes the case for why health systems should take a substantial role in the multi-sector collaboration needed to achieve significant impact.

Boards and CEOs must constructively address the succession imperative. Succession planning for the CEO and other senior leadership positions is critical to organizational continuity and stability, especially in a transforming healthcare field.

CEOs need to target and develop physicians to play leading roles in health care transformation. Perhaps the greatest challenge health care organizations face over the next decade is physician engagement. As integration and value-driven care continue to advance, physician leaders will be increasingly called upon to meet the demands of a changing landscape.

CEO goal-setting and evaluation is a fundamental responsibility of a governing board. These questions are designed to help boards assess their CEO evaluation process and determine if any improvements are necessary.

Regular board self-evaluation is integral to effective governance. Use the questions in the attachment to assess whether your board is getting maximum mileage from its self-evaluation process.

In many ways, women are on the front line in health care — as consumers, employees and family caretakers. They possess firsthand knowledge of community health issues and needs. They can bring an informed perspective to health care and other community organizations about where to focus resources to have the greatest impact.