A mere 44 percent of hospital boards responding to a Health Affairs survey said that healthcare quality is among the top two criteria used to evaluate their CEOs, according to a report in American Medical News.
The survey researchers also found a strong correlation between the importance the boards placed on quality improvement and their hospitals' performance on Medicare and Joint Commission care metrics, according to the report.
Officials not associated with the study quoted in the report say the results aren't surprising as many hospital boards believe quality and safety are already pretty good at their facilities and tend to want leaders to focus on financial, strategic or growth issues.
The survey also found that between Nov. 2007 and Jan. 2008, less than two-thirds of hospital boards discussed clinical quality issues at every meeting, and the discussion took up less than 20 percent of the meeting's time, according to the report.
Read the AMNews report on hospital boards' CEO performance measures.
The survey researchers also found a strong correlation between the importance the boards placed on quality improvement and their hospitals' performance on Medicare and Joint Commission care metrics, according to the report.
Officials not associated with the study quoted in the report say the results aren't surprising as many hospital boards believe quality and safety are already pretty good at their facilities and tend to want leaders to focus on financial, strategic or growth issues.
The survey also found that between Nov. 2007 and Jan. 2008, less than two-thirds of hospital boards discussed clinical quality issues at every meeting, and the discussion took up less than 20 percent of the meeting's time, according to the report.
Read the AMNews report on hospital boards' CEO performance measures.