Case Study/Let It Pour

Case Study Analysis

Let it Pour

MGT 350

Mr. Fanger

July 10, 2006

1) Identify the Problem

There appears to be multiple problems in this scenario. Let me identify some of the problems faced by Faith Community hospital. First and foremost, there appears to be some ethical issues affecting different associates of Faith Community. There is a division of the morals and religious beliefs among colleges and patients alike. A problem with the staff being divided is the fact that some staff does not want to perform certain medical tasks or procedures because of their moral or religious beliefs. Then of course there are the staffs that want to do above and beyond everything possible to benefit the patient in the most beneficial way possible. So we can see the division between the two. Should hospital staff do the required medical tasks and procedures regardless of their view? Are they legally responsible to do their required job regardless of their view? What about the patients who refuse certain treatment? Should the hospital be held responsible for this kind of scenario? The hospital cannot force the patient to do anything against their will, therefore if the patient refuses a particular treatment, the patient would then be liable for his or her well being. There are certain rules and regulations that the hospital needs to adhere to and it appears that there are too many loose agents roaming around. By this I meant that you have some hospital pharmacists are filling patient prescriptions out there own pocket and working out payments with the patient. And there are also counselors treating patients without the proper insurance coverage. These are some serious problems that need to be addressed.

Another huge problem is the fact that the premium costs at the hospital are increasing. They were running at $217.00 per patient per day to $240.00 per patient per day. This is a substantial increase in the costs associated with being treated at the hospital. Nobody wants to pay an increase when it comes hospital costs. At the rate things are going, the estimating costs may require the company to reduce the fixed costs by 15%. In any business, it is usually inevitable that company costs will start to escalate higher and higher. If specific action is not taken, then the company can start to face some serious financial problems.

2) Define criteria, goals and objectives

Goals and objectives of the criteria presented would be to have better unity between the doctors and medical staff concerning policy and procedures. The moral and ethical dilemmas are playing a huge role in this. Some staff and personnel ignore policies and procedures because they feel they are doing the right thing morally. It is critical that everyone be on the same page, and there needs to be accountability for those personnel that violate or do not uphold policy and procedure. These policies are in place for a reason and a lot of times those reasons can have many legal aspects to them as well.

The other goal is to figure out a way to reduce the cost and expenses that are over budget and get these reduced back to the appropriate level. The costs figure is roughly reducing our fixed costs which at 28% by 15%. This is a huge task and finding a solution is critical.

3) Evaluate the Effects of the Problem

There are many problems that can and are arising due to these problems. On one issue there is child services that want to get involved because of the way the hospital provided service. You have staff members not providing certain medical assistance because it violates their personal beliefs. This can cause lawsuits to ensue. This can cause an unbalance between the hospital staff and put the hospitals reliability record in an uneven area of doubt. This can cause a decline in patient numbers. Patient numbers can fall over the months and create an even greater financial problem. The public must be able to rely and depend on the hospital to give the required medical treatment that the patient deserves and should not have to worry about hospital staff not doing their jobs. If the financial costs are not reduced then this could leave to layoffs. Layoffs would mean that the hospital would be cutting back on personnel and the coverage would be less than sufficient to provide for patient care. Cutting back on the budget could eliminate certain hospital practices and procedures that are critical to the care and well being of all the patients. This could lead to misdiagnosis and or missed problems that may still be there.

4) Identify Causes of the Problem

Possible causes of non-unity could stem from the ethical issues, which seem to be a constant problem. It appears the hospital staff is divided on the many ethical issues within their setting. On one view, you have some hospital staff unwilling to give certain medical services to patients because of their beliefs. Then with another view you get some patients who do not want certain treatment because of their beliefs. Then again there are hospital staff that are willing to do whatever it takes to help the patient even if it is against policy. This diversity of different beliefs and ethics are causing a great deal of problems. A cause of the financial problem could be a part of the number of people who are injured or die each year in a hospital from the effects of adverse drugs. It is estimated that over 770,000 people a year are injured or die from adverse drug effects in hospitals. Depending on hospital size, this can cost the hospital up to $5.6 million a year. If the patient has an adverse drug affect, then there hospital stay could be 8 to 12 days longer than patients who do not suffer an adverse drug affect and end up spending thousands of dollars more.

5) Frame Alternatives

An alternative to the division of hospital staff having different ethical views is something that is not likely