July 8, 2016

What works best in your Chapter for member/patient benefit?

This week's BOG Update is brought to you by BOG Chair A. Allen Seals, MD, FACC.

Chapter Health Index

We are now several years into the College's five-year strategic plan, which places heavy emphasis on increasing member value and engagement. Our chapters are on the front lines for this strategic imperative. We are the entry point to the College for many members – and that makes the need to improve chapter effectiveness incredibly important. Additionally, improving organizational health across the College – including at the chapter level – is part of the College's Strategic Performance Metrics, which member and staff leaders use as a barometer of the College's health. In order to more meaningfully understand each chapter, the BOG Steering Committee requests that each chapter engage in a formal self-review and assessment process to gauge chapter health. The purpose of measuring chapter health is to gauge the relative temperature of each chapter's strengths and potential areas of improvement, which will help the College and/or chapter determine any need for training and resources.

Self-assessment and review is important because as Roman philosopher Cicero wrote: "No one can give you better advice than yourself." Often times, we know what we're doing well and where we need to make improvements better than someone reviewing us from the outside. The Chapter Health Index (CHI) was developed this past year to do just that – measure chapter health through the eyes of those closest to the chapters – our Governors, Chapter Executives and Chapter Affairs staff, with additional consultation from Chapter Council/Board and other chapter leadership.

Please remember that the CHI is an educational and communications tool for Governors and executives. As I said earlier this year, this is not punitive, and it's not a scorecard. These Chapter ratings will remain confidential, and are for each chapter's use. The BOT and BOG Steering Committee will see de-identified and composite data only. So, what roles do staff vs. members play in the CHI?

  • ACC Chapter Affairs Staff: To collect the data, share resources, and serve as an advocate for your needs.
  • Governors and Chapter Executives: Provide expertise and specifics from your chapter. Many components included are subjective and will require careful consideration and thought.

Later this year – in November and December – Chapter Affairs staff will schedule discussions around the CHI assessments. So, has your chapter had a check-up lately? This tool has the potential to provide great insight into areas of strength and improvement across our fantastic chapter landscape. I look forward to the positive results of this important BOG/chapter initiative – and please feel free to reach out to me or Amy Dearborn (adearborn@acc.org) with any questions or concerns. You can access the CHI here.