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Ultimately, the accountability for the risk management program belongs to:
Boards are ultimately accountable for oversight of organizational risk, including patient safety, quality, compliance, and financial sustainability. While executives and risk leaders manage day-to-day operations, board governance sets expectations, ensures resources, monitors performance, and holds leadership accountable for corrective action. Risk management objectives at the governance level include approving risk appetite, reviewing top enterprise risks, ensuring systems exist for event reporting and learning, and verifying that mitigation plans are implemented and effective. In litigation and regulatory scrutiny, board oversight can be a critical factor: a board that demands transparency, tracks harm signals, and supports safety investment strengthens the organization's defensibility and reduces preventable harm.