Reinertsen J. Engaging physicians: How the team can incorporate quality and safety. Healthcare Executive. 2008 May/June;23(3):78-81.

The fifth in a series on IHI's 5 Million Lives Campaign intervention on governance leadership, this article discusses the critical importance of developing a shared physician/hospital quality and safety agenda to begin to get "real" results — that is, improved care for the patients we serve. A framework to help guide hospital executives in engaging physicians is presented.

Bisognano M. Leadership’s role in execution. Healthcare Executive. 2008 Mar/Apr;23(2):66-70.

In this fourth article in a series on IHI's 5 Million Lives Campaign intervention on governance leadership, IHI Chief Operating Officer Maureen Bisognano describes leadership's role in execution of quality improvement. Core elements for process improvement and for achieving system-level results from strategic improvement projects are presented.

Conway J. Getting boards on board: Engaging governing boards in quality and safety. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. 2008 Apr;34(4):214-220.

As hospitals seek to drive rapid quality improvement, boards have an opportunity — and a significant responsibility — to make better quality of care the organization’s top priority. This article, the sixth in a series on IHI's 5 Million Lives Campaign interventions, discusses six things all boards should do to improve quality and reduce harm in their organizations.

Conway J. Patients and families: Powerful new partners for health care and for caregivers. Healthcare Executive. 2008 Jan/Feb;23(1):60-62.

This article, the third in a series on IHI's 5 Million Lives Campaign intervention on governance leadership, focuses on key leadership strategies that can improve patient safety. The author describes engaging patients and families as partners for health care and for caregivers.

Bisognano M, Conway J, with Schummers D
Chicago, Illinois: Health Administration Press with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2008

This is the fourth book in a series for health care executives designed to share innovations in patient care that are reliable, ready for implementation, and have been used successfully. Each chapter provides a description of the idea, an example of it in practice, and the results that have been achieved, where available. Topics include: harnessing and leveraging the power of middle managers; assigning personal guides to help patients and families navigate the treatment process; using simulations to train staff and promote behavioral and cultural change; engaging board leaders in patient safety and quality initiatives; others.

Sharkey M. We want you on board. Health Executive. December 1, 2007.

This article featuring IHI's Jim Conway and Jim Reinertsen discusses how hospital boards of trustees can become powerful instruments in the growing fight against medical mishaps.

Executive Pay and Quality: New Incentive Links — National Survey Results. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Integrated Healthcare Strategies; 2007.

In the summer of 2007 hospital CEOs and senior human resource executives were surveyed to explore patterns in the motivations, levels, metrics, and methods of incentive pay for hospital physician and administrative leaders. This report summarizing the national survey results notes that hospital boards are increasingly expanding their focus on quality and safety, and that boards and senior executives are building explicit measures for quality improvement into their incentive pay plans. The report is co-sponsored by The Governance Institute, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and Premier, Inc.

Pugh M, Reinertsen JL. Reducing harm to patients. Healthcare Executive. 2007;22(6):62, 64-65.

This article by Michael Pugh and James Reinertsen is the second in a series on key leadership strategies that can improve patient safety. Inspired by IHI’s 5 Million Lives Campaign, the authors lay out the principles and merits of dashboards to track specific and whole system quality improvement.

Gosfield AG, Reinertsen JL. Sharing the quality agenda with physicians. Trustee. Nov 2007;60(9):1-4.

Physicians drive what hospitals do; they write the orders that direct the services of nurses, pharmacists, technicians and support staff. Further, their authority for clinical quality is recognized in the hospital’s bylaws, in which the board delegates responsibility for quality of care to the organized medical staff. The connection between physicians and hospital quality of care is fundamental to health care organizational success — now more than ever.

Advancing the Practice of Patient- and Family-Centered Care How to Get Started. Bethesda, Maryland: Institute for Family-Centered Care; 2008.

Bringing the perspectives of patients and families directly into the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care — thereby improving its quality and safety — is what patient- and family-centered care is all about. Many hospitals, however, question how to link it with their overall mission and how to get started. This document provides answers to some of these commonly asked questions; outlines steps for getting started; provides assessment tools; and lists select resources.