Fully Equipped to Lead

Reprinted with permission from the May 2015 issue of Trustee magazine, vol. 68, no. 5. © 2015 by Health Forum Inc. Permission granted for digital use only.

By Kevin DiLallo

A Florida system provides trustee orientation and annual evaluations to foster effective governance

When trustees are appointed to the board of Manatee Memorial Hospital, they have a steep learning curve as they settle into this new role. Providing an orientation program and performing frequent performance evaluations help to ensure that trustees receive the training, resources and ongoing support they need to serve the organization.

Located in tight-knit Bradenton, Fla., just south of Tampa, Manatee Memorial is a 319-bed acute care facility. New additions to the 13-member board participate in a half-day orientation session in which they tour the hospital facilities and begin to review a packet of information that contains the hospital bylaws, annual goals and other helpful materials. The two most important things for the new trustees to understand are (1) their fiduciary responsibility to the hospital and (2) their duties concerning the medical staff, including approval of staff appointments, re-appointments and clinical privileges, and oversight of medical staff policies and procedures. The orientation process also includes a review of the hospital’s quality, safety and patient satisfaction initiatives and goals for the coming year.

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