AS I SEE IT


procedures or routine reports that require approval. List them on the action agenda separately as the “consent agenda.” Ask the board members if they had any ques- tions or comments from their home read- ing. If not, make a motion to approve the entire consent agenda with a sin- gle vote and vote. Similarly, list the information only documents on your agenda and, at the board meeting, ask if there are any questions or comments on these documents. Email information only and consent documents sufficiently in advance— at least one week—of the meeting for your busy board members to digest in detail on their own. A good practice is to include the agenda with the documents so the board can see the material’s place on the agenda. Try to send the documents as one package and not a series of mailings. It helps the board keep track of the material. Make it clear to your board members that they have a responsibility to read the documents. The only way this works is to make sure the consent and information only items are not discussed at the meeting unless a board member has a question. This might sound difficult, especially since those reports often take a long time to put together, and there is a natural desire to recognize the hard work. So recognize the accomplishment but don’t allow yourself to fall into a time-wasting rabbit hole reviewing reports that have no strategic value.


4. Keep Your Meeting on Point List start and stop times for each item on your agenda. If nearing the end time for a particular topic, try to summarize and see if you have consensus. If not, perhaps it is an item that requires a task force to gather more information. Ask the board to table the item or take time from another item. Be respectful in your desire to move the meeting along. People join boards because they want to have a voice in the governance of the organization. If board members are not given an opportunity to share their ideas, they will not feel


tive board meeting but save that nice bottle of wine for socializing after the meeting as a reward for a job well done, rather than risking the effective- ness of your board meeting.


7. Assessment


Self-assessments are a great way to learn the preferences of your board and contin- uously improve your meetings. Are the topics strategic? Are the board materials useful? How do they rate each others’ par- ticipation? Do they believe their time is valued? Many questions can be answered to help improve the board meetings. Since most boards meet only four


empowered and their participation will wane. When people share ideas and those ideas are met with immediate resistance, they can feel shut down, and they will hesitate before sharing again. Encourage discussion, but be very careful to keep on pace without shutting people down. Start your meetings on time and


avoid going too long.


5. Outside Speakers Bringing in outside speakers can sig- nificantly increase the strategic value of your board. Once you have made these other time-saving changes, you can then devote a significant portion of your board meeting to a high-level topic that poses great opportunity to your ASC’s future. You might want to bring in a speaker on bundled payments, managed care strat- egy, new service lines or another topic. You also will want to reserve time for your board to have an internal sum- mary on the topic immediately after the speaker leaves the room.


6. Care For the Needs Of Your Members Be respectful of your board members’ physical needs. Provide a comfortable space free from noise disruption. For multi-hour meetings, allow for a short break. If your meeting is over the din- ner hour, serve dinner. Skip the pizza and cater something nice for an effec-


times a year, it is not too much to ask for your board to complete a short survey after every board meeting. You can then email the results back to them between meetings and show how you have incorporated their comments into your next agenda.


8. New Member Selection Board members bring different per- spectives and the diversity of your board is its strength. At one of your board meetings, take time to discuss what skills and experiences are needed on the board. As your board mem- bers complete their terms, your board should communicate this information to the voting membership and solicit its help to recruit replacement mem- bers to fill any gaps. If you follow these eight points,


you should experience a more engaged board focused on the most strategic issues facing your ASC. These members will likely become your strongest advocates and create a leadership synergy that could have never been possible before.


Terry Bohlke, CASC, is the immediate past president of the ASCA Board of Directors and vice president of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Community Health Systems in Franklin, Tennessee. Write him at terry_bohlke@chs.net. Colin Rorrie is the president of CCR & Associates in Dallas, Texas. Write him at crorrie1@yahoo.com.


ASC FOCUS AUGUST 2016 11


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