Having set policy for the institution, the board must ensure that committees and management carry it out effectively.  The board should not become involved in the details of day-to-day management and operations - these are delegated to the hospital administration and to the medical staff - but it must have mechanisms in place to review performance and hold the corporation's agents accountable.  It is basic law that when authority for implementing policy is delegated, the authority can be revoked if performance is unsatisfactory.  The board must not abdicate its responsibilities by delegating responsibilities and not monitoring their execution.  Accordingly, all corporate officers and the medical staff are in fact subordinate to the board.

The Law of Healthcare Administraton, J. Stuart Showalter