2022 Healthcare Governance Conference

It's a Wrap! Key Takeaways from the 2022 Healthcare Governance Conference

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Texas Healthcare Trustees held its annual Healthcare Governance Conference on July 28-30 at the Omni Hotel Ft. Worth. THT welcomed more than 400 members, speakers, sponsors and staff who enjoyed two-and-a-half days of governance education and networking.

This year’s event carried on THT’s theme throughout 2022; looking toward the future. THT wanted to explore how events over the past two years have changed how we manage hospitals, how we interact and support staff and leadership, and most importantly what are the implications of all of this on governance.

The conference kicked off with an incredibly insightful presentation by renowned governance expert Jamie Orlikoff who detailed, in his opinion, a paradigm shift currently happening in governance; certain times of great volatility calls for additional oversight by the board. Orlikoff explained given the continual waves of uncertainty brought on by covid, some of the bright lines between management and governance have been dulled. He continued, during times when there is an “existential threat” to the hospital, that calls for increased oversight. Orlikoff did stress, however, that the CEO-board relationship needs to be strong, now more than ever. This increased oversight should not take place outside of the partnership between the CEO and board, and it is not constant, it ebbs and flows along with volatility the hospital is currently facing, it’s not sustainable, nor should it be.

THT president/CEO Amy Eskew shared her thoughts on the opening session; “I think Jamie [Orlikoff] really gave our members something to think about. There was an interesting duality in his remarks, not only were some of the traditional notions of governance challenged but also others were further confirmed in helping hospitals navigate all the certainty thrown at them. Jamie did a great job, as always, of bringing up very interesting philosophical questions about governance from his direct experience as a health care board member and professional.”

THT 2022 Awards presentation

THT also held its annual Trustee Awards luncheon, celebrating three exemplary leaders in administration, advocacy and governance. The Luncheon celebrated THT’s three award winners – and their respective hospitals. Congratulations to Martha Castaneda of Dimmit Regional Hospital, winner of the Ollie Jo Bozeman Excellence in Administrative Professionalism Award; Melvin Woody of Parker County Hospital District, recipient of THT’s Advocate of the Year; and Tracy Clanton of Rankin County Hospital District the 2022 THT Founders’ Award winner.

Attendees were also treated to insightful general sessions from Brian Sexton, Director of the Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality, demonstrated burnout in our workforces from the pandemic; and health care policy advisor Susan Dentzer, in conversation with THT President/CEO, Amy Eskew, discussed the state of play in federal politics

From compliance to health equity to board chair lessons learned, THT’s breakout session speakers covered all the important issues facing trustees and hospital leaders in the current health care climate. THA Advocacy staff shared hot topics leading up to the 88th State Legislature, while former rural hospital CEO Kim Russel, FACHE, led a session on succession planning.

And of course, attendees were also able to enjoy some fresh air during the annual golf tournament held at the beautiful Fossil Creek Golf Club.

With another conference in the books THT is already looking forward to next year’s event on July 20-22 at the JW Marriott Austin. In the meantime, please visit www.tht.org as we continued the conversation of looking forward and continue to finish out the year with education on revamping your strategic plan, a legislative preview and much more.

THT’s 2022 Award Winners