St. Michael's Hospital Board Governance Summary

1261 Words3 Pages

St. Michael’s Hospital: Board Governance Andrew MacNeil Student Number: 250810257 Dan Sullivan, St. Michael’s Hospital (SMH) Board Chair has been tasked to analyze and select a number of new directors for the board at St. Michael’s Hospital. Sullivan and his board must balance a volatile merger between SMH and Wellesley Central Hospital (WCH). He will be choosing four outside, independent directors from WCH’s Board and two additional medical directors to be added to the board. The mandates set forth in Health Services Restructuring Commission’s (HSRC) Commission Plan are to include faculty from Wellesley on SMH’s current Board of Directors and the Sherbourne Hospital Corporation (SHC) Board. This could prove problematic due to differences …show more content…

In the proposed restructuring plan, many of the directors who sit on SMH’s and the previous WCH Board will also sit on the to-be-formed SHC Board. Many of the existing members of WCH’s Board may have similar connections, experience, or expertise to those on SMH’s Board. In the interest of efficiency, it is important that decisions made regarding the board at one organization not be inhibited by any director’s involvement on other boards. As such, it is strongly advised that those elected to sit on the board of one organization have little to no involvement on the board of the others if at all possible. Sullivan should search for new and independent directors who can add value to the board meetings instead of detracting from it. The existing board at SMH must be sure to choose directors with skills necessary to bring an added benefit to SMH and SHC and to work effectively without conflicts of interest. As directors work together effectively to pursue the interests of their shareholders, the duty of loyalty will be upheld in each organization. This may be exemplified in a variety of different ways such as new perspectives, strong governance experience, additional expertise, or new insight into the soon-to-be acquired community operations of WCH. In addition, the Wellesley Central advisory committee may have key insights into WCH’s previous board practice. …show more content…

To fully evaluate WCH’s board, it is imperative that SMH also conduct a board evaluation of their current board. The SMH Board must understand what already exists in their own board. While the SMH Board has strong competencies in certain areas, they are severely lacking in others. With its current board structure there is no accountability to the shareholders. The Sisters of St. Joseph still control the electing of board members as well as the auditing of financial statements. With no clear expertise in either of these practices, the board must give this authority to other directors. Quick analysis of SMH’s current board shows primarily medical and healthcare representatives. Criteria such as experience in the legalities of public healthcare, policy execution, auditing and finance experience, and business experience would be considered assets to improving SMH’s Board. This issue can be resolved during the initiation process of new directors with such

More about St. Michael's Hospital Board Governance Summary

Open Document