Hospital Board Self-Assessment
This material has been prepared by the Iowa Hospital Association Council on Education and Member Services and for hospital trustees.
The Council is composed of hospital trustees and chief executive officers and has undertaken the preparation of the self-assessment document as a means to strengthen the governance function. Effective boards of trustees were never more important to hospitals than they are now. Self-evaluation is an important tool to be used to improve board effectiveness. We hope This document will further serve that purpose.
How to Use These Materials
Self-assessment should become a recurring process with a formal assessment performed at least once a year. Boards should review the goals, mission, vision, values, and strategic plan of the hospital prior to beginning the self-assessment. Boards should tailor the questions included in this assessment as needed to fit their particular hospital/system. However, questions that relate to the organization's strengths and those of its board members should not be omitted; it is as important for the board to be aware of its strengths as well as it deficiencies.
The value of this self-assessment depends to a large degree on the ability and willingness of the participants to be open and realistic as they answer the questions.
Boards should be prepared to take a hard look at their past performance, and based on what they see, be prepared to take steps to change their procedures, structure or composition to improve performance.
Following completion of the questionnaire by each board member, the questionnaire will be submitted for tabulation and a report will be created for the boards consideration. The meeting agenda should provide time for discussion and analysis of the results and preparation of plans to address areas that indicate need for improved performance. Future action may well include educational programs addressing needs identified.
In this era of health reform and major changes in the health care delivery system, health care organizations are being challenged as never before. In many cases, external forces loom as a serious threat to institutional viability. Boards must be prepared to meet these challenges and to continue serving the needs of their communities. Self-assessment is a tool for boards to utilize to ask themselves how well they are prepared to meet these challenges.
Self-assessment can help show a board where its strengths lie as well as where improvement may be needed. It is an important function that should be an ongoing part of serving on any Iowa hospital or system board.
Guidelines for Effective Boards
The role of a health care governing board is to ensure that the hospital and/or system provides high-quality, affordable care which meets community and area needs. To carry out this role, governing boards need to effectively deal with several responsibilities, including:
Establishing a mission and vision for the organization and approving goals, objectives and policies with a system for monitoring their implementation.
B. Accountability for quality of care provided to meet this legal and moral responsibility the governing board must:
- Establish and maintain effective medical staff credentialing
- Establish and maintain an effective system for quality control.
- Establish a hospital and system-wide, total quality control system.
C. Ensuring adequacy of funding both for current operations and future needs. Boards are responsible for reviewing and approving annual budgets, monitoring investment of monies not needed for day-to-day operation, raising capital for improvements and managing endowments.
D. Planning for the future successful operation of the hospital/system requires development of a hospital strategic plan. In today's environment, planning requires assessment of community needs and services, assessment of the organization's capabilities and coordination with other health facilities and provides to develop a community based care network and integrated delivery systems that can function effectively in the current environment.
E. An effective communications program where hospital/system policy and operations are understood by the citizens, community leaders and local government. The board should represent the organization to its communities and recognize the need to influence the broader political and economic environment in which the organization operates.
F. Assuring that the organization is effectively managed through:
- Recruitment, selection and retention of the best possible CEO.
- Clear understanding of the roles of governance and administration.
- Provision of adequate supplies, facilities, equipment and personnel to do an effective job.
G. Ensuring the effective function of the board through:
- Working together as a board by addressing issues using established policies and procedures.
- Recruitment of interested, hard working members.
- Comprehensive orientation for new members.
- A planned program of continuing education for all board members.
- Self-assessment to determine strengths and weaknesses.
- Board succession planning.
Board Self-Assessment
The following two-part evaluation tool has been designed to help boards and board members to identify their strengths and weaknesses. The first part consists of a series of questions that evaluate the whole board. If you are not sure of an answer, please answer "Question does not apply." Part two is a short personal assessment for each member of the board.
Click here to go to the self-assessment tool.
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