We have noticed a pretty significant trend from our healthcare clients. Many healthcare technology teams are getting requests from their board of directors to reduce the paper waste associated with their meetings and provide for a collaborative environment that can connect them across vast geographic boundaries. Collaboration tools, by way of portals, are the solution to these problems. Here are the main benefits we are hearing:
Conserves Resources: Board communications without portals is quite daunting. Board secretaries often need to prepare 20-pound board books for each director. These books are then shipped across the country, or around the world, in advance of upcoming meetings. Sometimes the board books fail to reach their final destination. Printing, shipping, and traveling to meetings all have clear carbon footprint implications. Healthcare organizations have sought refuge in portals to enable their board of directors to review and comment on content using online portals in advance of each meeting as opposed to using, typically out-of-date, paper books.
Real-Time Information Deliver: Healthcare board of directors are faced with wider geographic distribution, increased regulatory scrutiny, and more frequent board meetings. Board members need to be alerted when new information is available, but paper-based board books cannot be sent until all of the relevant information has been compiled. Any time the board needs to be updated to changes in board books, corrections need to be shipped. This sometimes results in revised board books being sent instead. When using a portal, new information can be posted immediately, which gives directors more time to study the information before making critical decisions based on that information. Portal tools provide boards with an easy way to keep in touch and a central point for the dissemination of information.
New Way of Doing Business: When we think of a board of director meeting we often picture a long mahogany table at the top floor of a skyscraper. In this modern age, the traditional board meeting is unrealistic. It can also be difficult to get each board member to the meeting itself. Board members need a more efficient way to communication, particularly in the case of an emergency meeting. Advances in technology can allow the board of directors to collaborate on strategy and risks quickly and efficiently.
