title: The board's role in meaningful collaboration. After negotiations are completed, a new round of work begins.
abstract: For collaborations that in some way modify involved organizations' assets and organizational or governance issues, negotiations are the responsibility of the congregation and not the healthcare system. Congregational leaders should, however, actively involve the system chief executive officer in the process and should also seek the advice of the system board. The board can be particularly helpful in offering financial, legal, and managerial advice to negotiators. Once an agreement is reached, however, the board must consider whether to approve it. And from this point forward, its involvement in the details of the collaboration will be more active. Because board members must evaluate a proposed collaboration from the perspective of the organization they serve, they may not always take the same view of it as did the congregational leaders. Moreover, what congregational leaders believe to be in the best interests of Catholic healthcare may not be consistent with the legitimate self-interest of some of the many constituencies affected by a collaboration. After negotiators have reached an agreement and the board has approved it, the board must make the necessary financial and organizational changes necessary to achieve the transition to a new corporate entity. In doing so, its goal will be to promote standardization without destroying the member institutions' rich traditions.
authors: Sisters of Charity Health Care Systems, Cincinnati, OH.
authors: M K
authors: MK
authors: Deets
mesh_terms: D002410:Catholicism; D006075:Governing Board / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007857:Leadership; D009096:Multi-Institutional Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009820:Ohio; D009935:Organizational Affiliation; D012380:Role