Hospital governance and the quality of care

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.