THE #1 FIDUCIARY DUTY ISSUE OF 2017 -

Positioning boards to exercise heightened engagement within the current “climate of uncertainty” is possibly the most important health system governance challenge of 2017. To adequately address this challenge will require an extraordinary commitment of time and energy by the board.

This “uncertainty” extends beyond the fate of the Affordable Care Act to an increasingly volatile political climate and global economy, all of which present enterprise risks to health care organizations. Health system directors should maintain a sharper awareness of how issues like border security, immigration restraints, trade conflict, regulatory reform and significant market fluctuation affect the health system. Would a Dodd-Frank rollback have spillover effects? Could administration pressures on certain key industries expand to include health care? Will the new US Supreme Court justice influence upcoming rulings on health care-related cases?