What might the board have done to minimize the effect of potential biases?

Pat and Chris were hired by Central O. District Hospital (CODH) as part of a three-year management contract with HCA Management Company. The hospital had been poorly run during the past decade, and numerous problems were evident. Pat and Chris were both young and energetic, but Pat’s role as CEO meant greater visibility to the hospital board and community.
Chris, the chief financial officer, was more operationally oriented and helped Pat make the tough decisions needed at the facility. They had learned to trust and depend on each other.
After the first year, they had made great progress. Instead of producing losses, CODH began to generate reasonable positive margins of 3 to 5 percent each month. New, badly needed equipment was purchased. The hospital seemed to be having one of its best years in decades. Pat, the CEO, received very positive news coverage in the local newspaper, which touted the “youthful turnaround” at CODH. A picture of Pat was prominently placed on the front page. Chris was exceptional with numbers but sometimes did not relate as well to others. However, the two were close friends, sometimes socializing after work, and had an extremely good working relationship.
The CODH board consisted of county residents, who were elected for four-year terms. Most were successful businesspeople with whom Pat could easily relate. The board had been displeased with the previous two CEOs it had hired. Both had financial backgrounds (one was a certified public accountant), had a hard time communicating with the board members, and were shy in approaching the public and media.