The 30-Minute Agenda for Your First Steering Committee Meeting

Many mid-sized companies believe a health working group needs weeks of preparation. That's not true. The first meeting isn't a strategy conference — it's a founding session. Its goal isn't a finished annual plan, but the foundation: an official body with a clear mandate that is demonstrably active.

Why the first meeting matters so much

The GKV Prevention Guide (checks 11–22) doesn't examine the content of your first meeting, but whether it took place — with the right people, minuted, and with verifiable participation from senior management. Without this evidence, there's no funding under § 20b SGB V.

The most common trap: HR plans a meeting without senior management involvement because leadership 'has no time.' That's fatal. Senior management must either attend in person or delegate a named representative — documented in the minutes.

The 4 mandatory items of the first meeting

These four points must appear in the minutes of the first meeting — everything else is optional:

1. **Read out the mandate:** The letter of intent signed by senior management is read aloud and recorded in the minutes. This is the evidence that BGM is wanted from the top. 2. **Determine the coordination person:** Who is the central point of contact? Who keeps the minutes, tracks deadlines, communicates with the health insurer? This person must be named explicitly. 3. **Clarify the data foundation:** Which analysis tools are available? GKV report requested? Survey planned? Risk assessment in place? 4. **Set the next date:** This is the most important step — the next meeting date proves that the steering committee doesn't end with one session. Without a follow-up date, the body isn't really a body.