Vol. 32, No. 1 - February 2010
- What Are the Governance Core Competencies?
- WSHA’s Governance Education Calendar for 2010 Set
- Tracking Board Educational Activities? WSHA Information Can Help
- Rural Health Planning Initiative Progresses
- January 13 Web Cast Outlined WSHA Legislative Goals for 2010
What Are the Governance Core Competencies?
The topic of what makes a good board member is a pretty common topic across many types of organizations. The American Hospital Association, through its Center for Healthcare Governance, decided to answer that question and formed The Blue Ribbon Panel on Trustee Core Competence in 2008. In February 2009 the Blue Ribbon Panel published its report. In it the panel divided core competencies into two categories: skills and knowledge every board should have in aggregate and those every board member should have.
Every hospital board should have these skills and knowledge represented:
- Health Care Delivery and Performance
- Business and Finance
- Human Resources
Every board member should have the following personal capabilities:
| Accountability | Complexity Management |
| Achievement Orientation | Organizational Awareness |
| Change Leadership | Professionalism |
| Collaboration | Relationship Building |
| Community Orientation | Strategic Orientation |
| Information Seeking | Talent Development |
| Innovative Thinking | Team Leadership |
The Washington State Hospital Association’s Governance Education Task Force recommended that hospitals and WSHA emphasize the development of the core competencies above in hospital and association-based education efforts.
To download or purchase the Blue Ribbon Report click here.
To read or download the WSHA Governance Education Task Force Report, click here.
WSHA’s Governance Education Calendar for 2010 Set
As of this publication date, here is the lineup of educational opportunities for board members and their executive teams.
| Five Webcasts: | |
| January 26 | Quality and Patient Safety Refresher/Catch-up |
| March 26 | The Board’s Responsibility for Ethical Policy-Making |
| June 8 | Board and Management Roles: Constructing a Better Team |
| September 23 | The Role of Governing Boards in Strategic Planning |
| November 16 | CEO Performance Appraisal: The Five Do’s and Taboos |
| Plus: | |
| April 13 or 14 | CEO and Trustee Patient Safety Summit, Seattle |
| June 28-30 | 34th Annual Rural Hospital Workshop, Chelan |
| October 12 | Orientation and Refresher for all hospital board members, Seattle |
| October 13 -14 | WSHA Annual Meeting, Seattle |
| October 14 | Trustee Breakfast |
Tracking Board Educational Activities? WSHA Information Can Help
WSHA’s Governance Education Task Force recommended hospitals document board member participation in governance education activities. This quarter WSHA will send out to each board chair, hospital CEO, and staff designated to track board education the association’s record of board members’ attendance at WSHA events in 2009. The information will be incomplete because we did not start tracking this until the Rural Hospital Workshop, followed by the WSHA Annual Meeting and two governance web casts later in 2009. The report for 2010 should be very complete.
Rural Health Planning Initiative Progresses
The Rural Strategic Plan of Washington State was prepared by a diverse, statewide committee of representatives of organizations dedicated to improving the health of rural communities in our state. The members of the Rural Strategic Planning Committee hope this plan will bring rural communities in the state together to implement models of care that reduce the gap in access to care between rural and urban communities, alleviate work force professional shortages, and implement payment methods that reflect the needs of rural organizations and their patients. The plan focuses on the Medical Home Model of Care, regional systems of care, and process improvement in rural facilities. Recommendations also cover the need to convene community leadership around health care priorities, maintain a high level of quality, and further develop health information technology to improve communication and reduce unnecessary duplication and travel. Click here to read the report.
January 13 Web Cast Outlined WSHA Legislative Goals for 2010
The doom and gloom over the state’s budget predicament will color everything that happens in the 2010 Washington State Legislature. Nobody active in state government has seen the state’s finances this bad. Nevertheless, WSHA has hopes for both financial and non-financial issues this session. Here are the top priorities.
| Budget Items | Non-Budget Items |
| Hospital Safety Net Assessment | Allow Local Determination of Nurse Meal and Restbreaks |
| Preserve Access to Care, e.g., saving remaining Basic Health slots |
Create a Workable Method for Reporting Surgical Site Infections |
| Mental Health, e.g., Restore Funding for RSNs |
Protect Patients from Influenza |
| Protect Health Work Force Training Funds | Increase Access to Financing for Hospital Districts |
| Accurate Adverse Event Reporting |
For those unable to join either of the hospital association’s January 13 web casts, the slides and sound track are available at the webcasts section of WSHA’s website.