WIHI: Tuning up Health System Boards for Patient Safety

​Date: September 15, 2017

Featuring:

• Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, Chief Clinical and Safety Officer, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
• James B. Conway, MS, Current Board Chair of Quality of Care Committee, Lahey Health System; Trustee, Winchester Hospital; Former Senior Vice President, IHI; Former COO and EVP, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Stephen E. Muething, MD, Co-Director, James M. Anderson Center; Professor of Pediatrics & Michael and Suzette Fisher Family Chair for Safety, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

What do we need and expect from trustees of health systems when it comes to their oversight of quality and safety? It's a question that's getting increased attention because board members aren't typically sought out or sufficiently trained for this type of expertise. Greater granularity and constant exposure aren't always the answer. Indeed, board meetings are often filled with lots of quality and safety data and other metrics that many members can't easily navigate, let alone discuss and act upon.

With a growing consensus that quality and safety must become a more prominent part of board education and continuous shared learning among all leaders, this doesn't have to be the case. The latest thinking on effectively engaging boards in quality and safety was our topic of discussion on the September 15 WIHI: Tuning Up Health System Boards for Patient Safety.