The seed for this issue's story on public hospital boards, "Under the Microscope," was planted last February at Health Forum's annual Rural Health Care Leadership Conference in Phoenix.
Ben Lindekugel, who is quoted in the story, introduced himself to me before the meeting got under way. The director of member services for the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts, Lindekugel said there was a need to discuss the complexities of governing a publicly funded hospital. Unending public scrutiny, sunshine laws and politics make leading a hospital especially complex for elected trustees or those appointed by elected officials.
Back in Chicago, we ruminated for a few months on the story and how to approach it until we met with consultants from ACCORD LIMITED, who provided some additional background on the issue. Pam Knecht, ACCORD's CEO, also makes an appearance in the article. From there, we placed the story in the capable hands of our reporter, Charlotte Huff, who spoke with several governance experts, CEOs and trustees who were willing to share their perspectives. Our production team is sending the story to the printer as I write.
All this to say: Your ideas and concerns drive the content of this magazine, and your voices make it valuable. We want to know what keeps you up at night, how you have tackled problems inside and outside the boardroom, and where we can help.
On another note, I hope you've signed up for our free monthly electronic newsletter, Inside Trustee. This month's issue includes a link to a Web-only story on how telehealth technology is emerging as a way to make clinicians' lives easier. To subscribe, go to www.trusteemag.com/inside
