New data on hospital governing boards

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Hospital Administration
• Sociology of Organizations

Background:

• Hospital governing boards are crucial for healthcare oversight.
• Understanding board composition and function is essential for effective governance.
• The 1979 American Hospital Association (AHA) Survey provides a baseline for analyzing hospital board structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present comprehensive data from the 1979 AHA Survey of Hospital Governing Boards.
• To detail the structures, procedures, and composition of hospital governing boards.
• To establish a foundational dataset for future research on hospital governance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 1979 AHA Survey of Hospital Governing Boards.
• Collected information on board size, trustee numbers, meeting frequency, and terms of service.
• Gathered data on board committees, officer titles, quorum requirements, and member demographics (age, education, sex).

Main Results:

• Detailed statistics on hospital governing board size and the number of trustees.
• Information on the frequency of board meetings and the length of trustee terms.
• Demographic data including age, education, and sex of board members, alongside committee structures and quorum specifics.

Conclusions:

• The 1979 AHA Survey offers a comprehensive snapshot of hospital governing board characteristics.
• This data serves as a critical baseline for understanding historical trends in hospital governance.
• Findings highlight the diverse aspects of board composition and operational procedures in hospitals.