Unethical Healthcare Organizations

For this discussion, I have chosen to explain how Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, La. promotes ethical behavior during everyday patient care. There are many key expectations required by Ochsner in order to promote ethical behavior. Ochsner Health System believes the most valuable asset is their employees and they understand that positive ethical behavior will reflect on patient care. Ochsner also takes time daily to recognize any work that is well done of employees. Ochsner offers an achieved leadership team that come from a range of backgrounds and is appreciated throughout the healthcare market and community. As an organization, Ochsner has always been committed to learning and advancing within the healthcare. Their leaders are encouraged

Illegal activity is something that we all have to aware of and careful to make sure we are not participating in. In the healthcare setting there are so many areas in which someone could attempt to something illegal. There are attempts, successful and unsuccessful, where patients, nurses, physicians, or anyone who is involved in the healthcare setting. As a medical assistant, any knowledge or signs of illegal activity should be reported. You should be able to provide evidence for the reason of accusation.

I currently practice in a small local hospital in Miami, FL. At this location, we mainly serve a very large Hispanic population. The younger generation within this ethnic population is generally bilingual, however, most of our patients do not speak English fluently making it very difficult when seeking health care.

An ethical audit is important to establish the company’s current weaknesses and strengths concerning how it conducts itself in an ethical manner. An ethics audit will involve evaluating the company’s standard of ethic, it ethic climate, and how well the company’s employees follow ethical standards. One of the first things to evaluate in an ethics audit is if a company has a written code of ethics and how comprehensive it is. Moreover, the written code of ethics should apply to everyone in the company from the top down with a clear zero tolerance policy in place for ethics violations. Included in a comprehensive ethics code should be a method for

Develop and enhance a philosophy, code of ethics and set of values that will inspire dedication to excellence in the health care industry

A philosophy of an organization helps differentiate themselves from their competitors and set a foundation for future success. It also helps shape an organization by presenting the goals they want to accomplish with specific activities. To improve this, many organizations understand the important of sharing values and goals and realize employee recognition. This helps staff from moving forward toward success of the organizations. Chapter 4 introduces “Codes of Ethics in Health Services.” Code of ethics is a guideline for healthcare professionals to accomplish and serve as a member of a society. Similar to other professions, managers have their own code of ethics in maintaining their duties and responsibilities. They also use the codes for ethical decision-making in dealing with ethical issues. Chapter 5 deals with “Organizational Responses to Ethical Issues.” It provides assistance for managers and organizations in their decision making. It is manager’s duty to figure out the problem and resolve it (Darr, 2011,

Executives regularly encounter a variety of ethical issues-- from organizational issues, such as interactions with suppliers, to the complex clinical issues of end-of-life patient care decisions. To ensure these wide-ranging ethical decisions are being made effectively and in the best interest of patients, employees and the community, healthcare leaders need to set the ethical tone of the organization.

A strategic way internal communications support ethical behavior within our organization is by incorporating and reinforcing the values and mission through accountability training, also referred to as Mission Integration. The values that permeate all of our endeavors are justice, compassion, integrity, teamwork, employee well-being, supportive work environment, trust, stewardship, and leadership. These key standards describe our purpose and mission and are the focus for the healthcare professions and tradition that we are

As we head into the next four years under the Obama administration, many Americans are hearing more and more about healthcare reform and what needs to be done to fix the ailing healthcare system. Part of the dramatic increase in healthcare costs is due to Medicare fraud abuse. Healthcare fraud is defined as making false statements or representations of material facts in order to obtain benefits or payment. Healthcare abuse is defined as practices involving the overuse or misuse of services, either accidentally or intentionally, for various reasons that results in overpayment. These acts may be committed by an individual person or an entity. Fraud and abuse exposes a person, provider, or entity to criminal and

Rising costs of healthcare is a valid concern for many households in America. A factor in the cost of healthcare insurance is fraud. Fraud is often very difficult to detect. The magnitude of healthcare fraud is unknown. Initial reimbursement and payment and billing timeframe of 90 days allows for fast payment of services, however, many times before there is an indication of fraudulent billing the company has closed up and moved on. Fraud in American healthcare, costs American’s millions perhaps even billions of dollars annually. Without doubt, behind every act of fraud lies a lapse in ethics. This paper will review several pieces of literature to look

When there is an ethical issue that has been brought up within the medical center, a member of the leadership team works with the bioethics committee to ensure that the final ruling on the issue is indeed ethical and upholds the standards set forth by the organization (GRMC, 2016). Ensuring that the individuals that make up the leadership and managerial teams follow the code of ethics is imperative to the success and culture within the organization. Annual reviews are held of all staff members and members of the leadership team that include a section regarding ethical behavior and how well the individual is upholding the ethical standards of the hospital. By having the code of ethics addressed on these evaluations, the employees are well aware of the ethical standards that the organization has of them, therefore encouraging the ethical behaviors throughout the

Another effective way of controlling healthcare fraud and abuse is through reinforcement of federal penalties, enforced by the department of Health and Human Services. For example, in the year 2011, the US department of Health and Human Services committed approximately $248 million in the fight against fraud and abuse. This extraordinary effort resulted in a significant increase in the number of cases prosecuted, amount of money recovered, and the dollar amount of claims filed. The federal government can assist healthcare overall fight the abuse and fraud by being assiduous in prosecuting the providers, the healthcare organizations, and individuals who commit fraud and abuse in an organized and systematic manner, not sparing anyone, because

Ethical behavior is virtuous and beneficial for business in any type of organization. In healthcare, the outcomes are improved patient care, dedicated staff and healthcare providers, and amplified market share. It obliges leaders, managers, directors, and supervisors to have a comprehensive interpretation of the role of ethical decision making (Winkler, 2005). Ethical health care organizations have incorporated and combined ethical practices and values, continuing education on ethics for everyone involved, successful ethics substructure, and morally spirited and dauntless leaders (Winkler, 2005). These organizations have a vision and statements that directs behavior and decision making.

Everyday, healthcare professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas in their workplace. These ethical dilemmas need to be addressed in order to provide the best care for the patient. Healthcare professionals have to weigh their own personal beliefs, professional beliefs, ethical understandings, and several other factors to decide what the best care for their patient might be. This is illustrated in Mrs. Smith’s case. Mrs. Smith is an 85 year old who has suffered from a large stroke that extends to both of her brains hemispheres which has left her unconscious. She only has some brain stem reflexes and requires a ventilator for support. She is unable to communicate how she wishes to proceed with her healthcare. Mrs. Smith’s children, Sara and Frank have different views regarding their mother’s plan of care. The decision that needs to be made is whether to prolong Mrs. Smith’s life, as Sara would like to do, or stop all treatments and care, as Frank feels his mother would want. In the healthcare field, there are situations similar to this case that happen daily where moral and ethical judgment is necessary to guide the decision that would be best for the patient. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss, compare and contrast the personal and professional values, ethical principles, and legal issues regarding Mrs. Smith’s quality of life and further plan of care.