St. Joseph Health’s Decision To Streamline Some Authority Into One Regional Board Praised
"In general, the more boards you have and the more layers of governance, the more challenging the governance model is and the more likely it is to add cost rather than adding value," said Jamie Orlikoff, American Hospital Association's national adviser on governance and leadership.
Modern Healthcare:
Experts Praise Centralizing Health System Control
When it comes to health system governing boards, for the most part, experts agree: Less is more. It's an important message for the hospital industry, which has been slow to shed its bureaucratic layers. Industry gurus praised St. Joseph Health's recent move to strip key decision making authority from four California hospital boards and shift that control to a regional board, saying it aligns with a governance style that keeps health systems nimble and efficient, even as they add new hospitals. (Bannow, 3/24)
In other news —
Ventura County Star:
Outpatient Opening Should Ease Psych Care Shortage
Legislation spurred by a gaping shortage in psychiatric care and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday allows a Ventura psychiatric hospital closed by the Thomas Fire to reopen outpatient services, possibly in a week. All inpatient and outpatient services at Vista del Mar Hospital were halted after two buildings on its hillside campus were destroyed Dec. 4 by the massive wildfire that consumed more than 1,000 structures and grew into California’s largest officially recorded wildfire ever. (Kisken, 3/23)