San Diego, CA (PRWEB) November 01, 2012

The Governance Institute, a service of National Research Corporation, has published preliminary findings comparing board practices from its biennial survey data with hospital performance according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Value-Based Purchasing process of care (POC) measures. The study includes board practices at hospitals and health systems across the U.S. The analysis was conducted by National Research Corporation.

In its fall 2012 white paper, Making a Difference in the Boardroom: Preliminary Findings on Best Practices to Promote Quality at Top Hospitals and Health Systems, The Governance Institute reveals 14 board practices significantly correlated with higher performance on POC measures. While some practices are related directly to quality of care, the majority are related to matters of board composition (i.e., conflict-of-interest issues, director independence, succession planning, and director competencies); physician relations (i.e., competition/conflict of interest, compensation, privileging, and compliance); and board meetings and policies (i.e., how meeting time is spent, self-assessment process, strategic plan development, and management oversight).

As an adjunct to the analysis, The Governance Institute conducted interviews with the leaders of four organizations that scored highly on the POC measures. The interviews confirmed that high-performing organizations follow most, if not all of the identified practices and that many of these practices are perceived as drivers of quality and safety performance.

The Governance Institute considers these findings to be preliminary in nature; additional research is needed to confirm or refute the findings. The Governance Institute plans to remain at the forefront of such research, along with its parent company, National Research Corporation. The white paper, published and distributed to members of The Governance Institute in early November, includes the study methodology, key findings and discussion, case studies, and discussion questions for hospital and health system boards in consideration of the research implications.

About The Governance Institute

The Governance Institute provides trusted, independent information and resources to board members, healthcare executives, and physician leaders in support of their efforts to lead and govern their organizations.

The Governance Institute is a membership organization serving not-for-profit hospital and health system boards of directors, executives, and physician leadership. Membership services are provided through research and publications, conferences, and advisory services. In addition to its membership services, The Governance Institute conducts research studies, tracks healthcare industry trends, and showcases governance practices of leading healthcare boards across the country.

For more information about obtaining a copy of this white paper or The Governance Institutes services, call 877-712-8778, write to info@governanceinstitute.com, or visit http://www.governanceinstitute.com.

The Governance Institute is a service of National Research Corporation.

About National Research Corporation

For more than 30 years, National Corporation (NASDAQ: NRCI) has been at the forefront of patient-centered care. Todays the companys focus on empowering customer-centric healthcare across the continuum extends patient-centered care to incorporate families, communities, employees, senior housing residents, and other stakeholders.

Currently recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the largest patient satisfaction firms in the U.S., National Research is dedicated to representing the true voice of patients and other healthcare stakeholders. This integration of cross-continuum metrics and analytics uncovers insights for effective performance improvement, quality measurement, care transitions, and many other factors that impact population health management.