Michael Callahan, a partner in the firm’s Health Care Practice, was quoted in an article in Medical Staff Briefing on the importance of educating governing boards on medical staff issues and those affecting quality of care. “Those boards that are not going down the path of monitoring quality, adopting evidence-based standards and proper credentialing are being held responsible for bad outcomes,” he says. Although hospitals may worry about conflicts of interest if the president of the medical staff sits on the board, Mr. Callahan explains, “They have to understand that by having the president of the medical staff serve as an ex officio member of the board, they are likely to get a representative whose interests are solely aligned with the medical staff and not the hospital.” He adds that there is also value in inviting board members to attend credentialing committee meetings. “Delegating learning to certain people by having them sit on various medical staff committees gives them a way to gain insight into certain areas, and they can bring what they learned back to the full board,” he says. (“Does your governing board understand medical staff issues?” February 2010)