Case Study: Let It Pour: My First Assignment As Executive Assistant

Abstract

This study is related to a case conducted at Faith Community Hospital to assess the problems due to issues with their mission statement and how it is being interpreted. According to the CEO of Faith Community Hospital, very few of the members and partners seem to be following the mission statement. There are issues with organizational processes, ethics issues, and communication systems. Many staff members are operating as individuals and not as a collective unit based on their values. A moment's distraction can result in a tragic outcome.

Introduction

Faith Community Hospital, an organization who's mission statement is to promote health and well-being of the people in the communities. They serve through the extent of services provided in collaboration with the partners who share the same vision and values. Though the mission statement is the model that everyone should be following, everyone does not think the same about every issue. We all may face similar situation at one point in time but the end result may be different for each individual because we all have different values and beliefs. There are many differences between ethics, laws, beliefs, and oaths that all affect the decisions from patients to staff members. Some patients refuse to take medical services and there are staff members who refuse to provide certain services due to those value lines. Some of the staff members are caring so much for the patients that they sometimes take radical positions to respond to their well-beings. In these situations medical intervention can conflict with religious beliefs or personal moral convictions. Hospital pharmacists are even taking positions which they believe to be important such as filling uninsured prescriptions by accepting payments in installments. Staff members in ICU initiated Do Not Resuscitate procedures with out written orders. Doctors are putting patients first from various interpretations. In "right to die" situations the doctors seem to be getting too involved in compassion and passions with their patients. We need to stay focused on what our jobs are and what we are promoting which is to provide healthcare and its services to members of the communities. Counselors are also treating some of their clients with no authorization of the values and beliefs they have. On the other hand, there are some staff members within the hospital who refuse to serve patients unless they have confirmed insurance coverage. If a patient is to pass away because of unauthorized decisions, this can cause a stir with the media as well as with current or future patients in the community. An unauthorized decision from the hospital could cause people to question the integrity and competency of the staff which could result in legal actions. Insurance coverage is the next issue on our agenda. There seems to be confusion as to what patients are covered and how much the hospital gets paid from the insurance companies. These are situations that are out of our control at this present time. If a patient does not have insurance we cannot just write prescriptions for them and give them installment payments without authorization and proper documents. If a patient is not insured they can use an installation payment system but they must sign a waiver form. This waiver form should be signed by both the patient and the staff member who is involved. This cannot be done "under the table" or on your own time. We need the support of the patients' family in the event of a DNR or any other major decisions if the patient themselves is incapacitated. Premium costs are on the rise compared to last year. Costs have risen twenty-three dollars over the past year from two-hundred and seventeen dollars to two-hundred forty dollars. Patient population is on the decrease and the hospital costs are on the rise. Costs are not changing proportionally with changes of patient population which is reason for concern. Without patients the hospital will struggle to afford fixed costs.

Corrective Measures

Resolutions need to be made to correct issues with staff members, patients, and our current financial situation. Policies will be implemented as of the beginning of the month and are to be implemented on a daily basis. These policies are as follows: Written statements need to be signed before performing any procedure on patients. Beliefs are to be second in a decision when regarding DNR directives. If the patient in incapacitated and there is no written documentation, the next of kin becomes the deciding factor and their decision should be put in writing and then signed by them as well. Without proper authorization you cannot proceed to work on a patient. Ultimately, termination will be the consequences for staff members who fail to get authorization on these matters. With regards to financial issues, we should hire financial, marketing and public relation specialists to work on cutting costs and promoting the benefits of using services from the hospital. Promoting wellness, healthy lifestyles and excellent patient care should be the standard set for Faith Hospital. Our patient count must be increased and to obtain this we need this area to be separately evaluated and treated according to statistics provided by our financial analyst. As a non-profit hospital we need to have the support of the community. To have the support of the community Faith Hospital must once again capture the trust of the community. To do this our facility both the marketing and public relations specialists must have effective and ongoing community outreach. These sections of the hospital must make it known even through media how we Faith Hospital have a concern for the community around us. Other approaches may include engaging community and business leaders in developing local solutions to health access issues for uninsured and underinsured persons. Human Resources will need to develop a new handbook with job descriptions