Board appointed to establish UMC, higher education system joint venture

By Kyle B. Hansen (contact)

Thursday, April 22, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Clark County commissioners have appointed a working board to oversee establishing a joint venture between University Medical Center and the Nevada System of Higher Education.

The commissioners approved the nine-member board while meeting Wednesday as the UMC Board of Trustees.

The working board includes four representatives from the county and four from the higher education system, plus an outside member who will act as chairman.

The board’s chairman will be Dr. John Ruckdeschel, the director and chief executive officer of the Nevada Cancer Institute.

The board members are Dr. Maurizio Trevisan, executive vice chancellor for the Health Sciences System; Dr. Ole Thienhaus, dean of the University of Nevada School of Medicine; Dr. Karen West, dean of the UNLV School of Dental Medicine; Jean Regan, chief financial officer of the School of Medicine; Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine; county Chief Financial Officer George Stevens; UMC Chief Executive Officer Kathy Silver; and Dr. Dale Carrison, UMC’s chief of staff.

Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani requested that a representative of the Service Employees International Union, which represents most hospital employees, be on the board. Commissioners agreed but did appoint a member.

Commissioners also received a report from Silver on a proposal to establish an operating board for the hospital to remove some of the responsibility of overseeing the hospital from commissioners.

Silver proposed an 11-member board that includes health care experts and representatives from different groups who have stakes in the hospital.

Silver’s report to the commissioners says board members should be people who “support the culture of the Board of County Commissioner and the dedicated mission of UMC but (are) not politically beholden to the elected officials who appointed them.”

Silver’s proposed board would be made up of two purchasers of health care, one representative from SEIU, two civic or community leaders, two physicians, one public health or other health profession leader, one person with a legal background and two people with business or financial experience.

The board would also have four ex-officio members — the CEO and chief medical officer of the hospital, the dean of the school of medicine and the executive vice chancellor of the school system’s health science system.