Candidates available to serve on Boards of Directors at rural acute care hospitals are limited. Nonetheless, the policy and legal environment surrounding hospitals is becoming more complex, making effective governance essential. The goal of the study is to characterize rural Boards of Directors in terms of background, perceived roles, and perceived needs for training and development.

We will conduct a mail survey of rural prospective payment (PPS) and critical access (CAH) hospitals, working from an instrument currently being used in South Carolina. A random sample of 400 PPS and 400 CAH hospitals will be drawn. Hospital Chief Executive Officers, identified from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database, will be asked to provide contact information for Board members, who will then receive a mailed survey form. A technical report to ORHP will summarize Board characteristics and highlight training needs. Key findings and the executive summary will be posted on the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center website.

Publications

• Is Your Hospital's Board Prepared to Govern? Rural Acute Care Hospital Boards Of Directors: Education and Development Needed
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 06/2010
  This report examines the structural, leadership, and educational needs of rural hospital boards as viewed by rural hospital board chairs and CEOs.
• Rural Acute Care Hospital Boards Of Directors: CAHs Lag in Oversight (Fact Sheet)
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 2010
  As small and rural hospitals face changes in finance, reimbursement, quality of care, and workforce shortages, strong governance is essential. Our study explored the structural, leadership, and educational needs of rural hospital boards through a survey of board chairs and CEOs at critical access and prospective payment system hospitals.