How effective is your health board governance? (A Canadian perspective)

Board portal technology can not only make the difference in how well your health board is managed but help flag gaps where governance improvement may be needed.

We know health boards need to run board meetings, oversee secure board communication, and manage board performance. Board portal software can be a tool that helps you ensure efficiency and compliance.

What does good health board governance look like?

Good governance is the art of steering an organization so strategic goals and priorities are clearly set for the organization, with appropriate oversight by the board. It ensures relationships are maintained, the health of the organization – including its data – is safeguarded, and the board and leadership are both evaluated for performance.

Health Governance in Canada requires health boards to meet certain regulations, as well as use best practices for how their boards are run.

Health board portal software can help you manage these priorities:

• Provide transparent information access, with clear structure and organization 
  • It’s important for health boards to stay organized through complex processes. Health board portal software can add value by providing clear and convenient access to complete board information, as well as to board evaluations, director evaluations, and creating an audit trail of discussions and decisions.

• Define and pursue a clear agenda
  • Without a defined mission and strategic agenda, what will your board achieve? A board portal helps you define your agenda, reassess as needed, and enforce strategic focus with an agenda template that’s automated for you.

• Drive better decision-making
  • Board portals are valuable when important decisions need to be made by a health board. Board portal software incorporates voting tools, creates an audit trail, and ensures security. It can help you rapidly and confidentially distribute key questions to decision makers, as well as ensuring a balance of influence and voice from all members in transparent voting.

• Perform assessments of both board and leadership
  • Health organizations can draw upon board portals for survey tools to assess performance and monitor change over time. This allows for compliance in regular and secure performance evaluations. 

• Create visibility to ensure accountability
  • Health board portals provide visibility into board information, an audit trail of activity, priorities and decisions and records on board participation in voting, accessing information, meeting attendance and other detailed track records.

Why are health board portals so valuable?

Board portal technology streamlines board management including running board meetings and board communication, safeguarding board information security, and opening up participation by allowing different personalities and voices an equally weighted means of input. Beyond inclusive voting, board members may contribute perspective through annotated notes on board materials shared to all or select other directors, as well as commenting in advance of meetings on agendas. Technology tools boost engagement and support hearing diverse perspectives.

Health boards have the opportunity to improve board management and enhance board strategic direction, accountability, performance and fairness. Some health boards with the greatest impact may also be budget constrained. Aprio developed its board portal to make good governance affordable for all.

How does Aprio equip health boards for their governance priorities?

The Aprio board portal is a trusted method of ensuring your board meetings are efficiently run, board communication is convenient and secure and governance priorities are well managed.

Health organizations including Ontario’s Champlain Local Health Integration Network, eHealth Ontario, Island Health, BC’s Provincial Health Services Authority, Interior Health, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and many others all rely on Aprio.

Find out how easy and affordable good governance can be for your health organization. Book a demo.