Monday, June 26

AHLA would like to thank Ntracts, Inc. for sponsoring today's Daily Newsletter.

A General Counsel's Journey: An Exploration of the Opportunities and Challenges Facing Chief Legal Officers in Health Care

In this interactive general session to kick off AHLA’s In-House Counsel Program, Joseph Clamon (Moderator), Associate Vice President for Legal Affairs and Chief Legal Counsel, University of Iowa Health Care; Brent Henry, Mintz Law Firm; Michelle Johnson Tidjani, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Henry Ford Health; and Greg Matis, SVP/Chief Legal Officer Intermountain Healthcare, shared their considerable experience with attendees.

The session detailed each speaker’s career journey and imparted tips for future and current in-house counsel. The speakers all agreed that in-house counsel’s role as a leader is a critical one and each shared their leadership philosophy, as did members of the audience. The concept of “leading from behind” was discussed by many as a way for in-house counsel to empower their teams and bring the right people together to solve organizational challenges.

The panel also explored in-house counsel’s role in managing strategic risk and being, in essence, an “organizational therapist.” Knowing your organization’s and board’s risk tolerance is crucial. The speakers and audience members universally agreed that they spend only about 20%-30% of their time on practicing law, with the remainder focusing on business strategies and other organizational priorities.

The collaborative session also looked at effective management of outside counsel, facing crises and how to manage PR events, and workforce burnout issues. Effective in-house counsel should endeavor to always be prepared and more importantly, stay calm: “be the water, not the fire,” as one audience member succinctly summed up the challenges of the in-house counsel role.

Stop by the Ntracts booth!

Many CLM providers fail to consider an organization’s larger goals and objectives.

Ntracts’ Healthcare-Focused Contract Lifecycle Management Solution partners and collaborates with your organization to establish a foundation to build upon and complement the goals of the organization; incorporates legal and compliance best practices to initiate tracking and reporting on key data; and incorporates a periodic review plan to ensure the process is maintained.

Learn More

This article is sponsored content.

Passing on the Gavel

Thomas "Tom" N. Shorter passed the presidential gavel to Patricia "Trish" A. Markus, who will take over as AHLA's new president for 2023-2024, Saturday evening during the AHLA Board Meeting. We appreciate the contributions and dedicated service Tom made as AHLA's president, and we look forward to the impact Trish will have on the future of the Association.

“Dude Where’s My Folder?” Wins the Golden Ferret Award

Keeping with AHLA tradition, attendees at the In-House Counsel Program gathered during Sunday’s networking luncheon to share their too-absurd-to-be-true stories to compete for the coveted Golden Ferret Award. Many riveting stories were shared, including In-House Counsel efficiency, COVID testing gone wrong, haunted hospital mishaps, and a dead patient in the parking lot. Of all the stories shared, one stood out above the others.

Congratulations to Sarah Fulkerson for her story, “Dude, where’s my folder,” a story of a patient who stole two physician lab coats, two Volt phones, a big box of surgical masks, and a random folder. After stealing these items, the patient went across the street to Jose Peppers, wearing one of the lab coats, and ordered a large meal that he refused to pay for because, according to him, physicians deserve complimentary meals. All these items, except for the random folder, were recovered by the police.

Best Practices for Effective Governance and Organizational Success

Effective governance is central to organizational success and requires strong relationships, structures, processes, and culture, according to AHLA presenters Jacki Melmed, Chief Legal Officer, University of Colorado Health; Elizabeth Truesdell Smith, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, Allina Health; and Jim Watson, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Providence St. Joseph Health, who gave attendees of the In-House Counsel Program a comprehensive overview of governance best practices.

The session explored board accountability and in-house counsel’s role in optimizing board effectiveness through recruitment, education, structure, culture, and support, and by maintaining the line between governance and management. In-house lawyers should also think about how to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in board succession planning, as DEI plays a critical role in ensuring that an organization is serving and engaging its constituents in the right way.

Orienting and educating your organization’s board is an important step in board success. Watson, using his organization as an example, demonstrated how conducting board orientation in “bites” may be more effective and easily digestible for board members and trustees.

The session also examined emerging governance trends such as use of artificial intelligence, setting up a governance office, and labor and employment issues. “If you’re not already talking to your board about unionization, you’re behind the eight ball,” one attendee noted.

Connecting with Diversity

The In-House Counsel Program ended with a reception celebrating our diverse membership. Many at the Program expressed their appreciation for the insights and sessions offered during the program, stating that the interactive atmosphere added so much to their overall experience.

David J. Greenburg Founders Award 2023 Recipient

The Association’s highest and most prestigious award is presented by the President to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional qualities of leadership and sustained loyalty and service to AHLA throughout their career.

AHLA is pleased to announce the 2023 recipient of the David J. Greenburg Founders Award is Joel Hamme, former AHLA President and retired principal at Powers Plyes Sutter & Verville PC (PPSV).