Foley Partners Janice Anderson, Fredric Entin and Cheryl Wagonhurst are speaking at the American Hospitals Association’s (AHA) Center for Healthcare Governance Symposium titled Leading in Challenging Times: Responding to the Changing Environment, on January 6 – 9, 2008 in Naples, Florida.
Mr. Entin is speaking on Sunday, January 6, 2008 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. with Mac McCrary, President of The McCrary Company in Morganton, NC. Their session is titled “Understanding Fiduciary Duties and Protections.” Specially designed for new board members or board members looking to refresh their understanding of the legal responsibilities of a fiduciary, this workshop will explore the basic principles of fiduciary law and the three duties of care, loyalty and obedience. You will learn and discuss why these duties apply and require attention to more than financial issues and come to understand how attention to sound governance process and understanding of protections such as application of the business judgment rule help board members avoid personal liability. The goal of this workshop is to educate boards and senior leaders that these duties can be discharged without personal liability or harm to the organization but require work and attention.
Ms. Anderson and Ms. Wagonhurst are speaking on Tuesday, January 8, 2008, from 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Their session is titled “The Quality Revolution: Enforcement Risks and Board Obligations.” The Office of Inspector General and the American Health Lawyers Association recently issued guidance for boards regarding their fiduciary responsibilities for the oversight of quality of care and patient safety. Quality of care is among the most important compliance areas today, as it is emerging as a top enforcement priority for health care regulators. Health care leaders need to understand the relationship between quality and compliance and the strategies that they can use to evaluate and reduce the compliance risks arising from quality of care. This session will highlight the key points of the OIG/AHLA. The presenters will offer proactive steps that an organization can take to help mitigate the risk of enforcement. Finally, they will address the ways that an organization can help its board establish a quality agenda and monitor its implementation to appropriately discharge the board’s fiduciary obligations to oversee quality of care.