A national governance survey found hospital and health system boards may not be diverse enough, according to Trustee magazine.
"[Trustees] understand that the world is changing," John Combes, MD, president and COO of the AHA's Center for Healthcare Governance, told Trustee magazine. The Center for Healthcare Governance conducted the survey. "They have a good grasp of it. They're not quite sure what to do yet."
The survey found a lack of diversity in racial and ethnic composition and age composition of hospital boards. According to the survey, 88 percent of board members in 2014 were Caucasian. Not only did boards lack racial and ethnic diversity, but they also have barely moved the needle in this regard since 2011, when 90 percent of board members were Caucasian.
The survey also showed the age gap is growing on hospital boards. In 2005, 29 percent of board members were 50 years old or younger and 71 percent were 51 years old or older. That gap has grown so that in 2014, 21 percent of board members were 50 years old or younger and 79 percent were 51 years old or older.
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