Health Affairs, doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0297 (Published online November 6, 2009) © 2009 by Project HOPE	New Online   Senate Health Reform Bill   Rewarding Providers   Public Option Policy Brief   Health Reform & Abortion   Delivery System Reform

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Hospital Governance And The Quality Of Care

¹ Ashish Jha is an associate professor in the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.
² Arnold Epstein is chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Hospitals' boards may influence the quality of care that hospitals provide, but their engagement in quality-related issues is largely unknown. We surveyed a nationally representative sample of board chairs of 1,000 U.S. hospitals to understand their expertise, perspectives, and activities in clinical quality. We found that fewer than half of the boards rated quality of care as one of their two top priorities, and only a minority reported receiving training in quality. The large differences in board activities between high-performing and low-performing hospitals we found suggest that governing boards may be an important target for intervention for policymakers hoping to improve care in U.S. hospitals. [Health Aff (Millwood). 2010;29(1): published online 6 November 2009; 10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0297]

Key Words: Business Of Health, Consumer Issues, Hospitals, Quality Of Care, Variations

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