Expanding the scope of fiduciary duties to fill a gap in the law: the role of nonprofit hospital directors to ensure patient safety.

Abstract

In the wake of the patient safety movement, there is a glaring disconnect between the increasing responsibilities placed on hospital board members and the limited accountability for those board members if they fail to meet their responsibilities. This Article discusses how the effectiveness of new patient safety laws is diminished by the lack of accountability of nonprofit board members. The Article suggests that an expanded notion of corporatefiduciary duties, enhanced by shifts in social norms, would contribute to patient safety reform.