HLTH 8301 Week 2 Discussion: Conflict Between Ethics and Financial Incentives
Patient dumping or turfing is a systemic problem in our healthcare system. Usually associated with hospitals or providers refusing to treat certain patients, this frequently results from inadequate insurance, complex diseases and diagnoses, complex mental health issues without bed space, or inadequate social safety nets for those not fully fit to care for themselves. Patient dumping can occur within diverse healthcare settings, including emergency departments and long-term care health or rehabilitation facilities.
Healthcare organizations are often under immense financial pressure and commonly operate on narrow margins. When a hospital closes in a community it can have widespread negative impacts for that community’s access to care and population health. While policies should be in place for proper discharge of patients, there have been numerous cases of inappropriate patient discharge that do not support patients’ rights or sound ethical decision making. This has resulted in stories that run in the media and, ultimately, devastating financial penalties for hospitals and high-risk negative outcomes for patients.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Watch the NBC News video Hospital Outrage, Patient Dumping in a Baltimore Hospital and reflect on the Learning Resources this week.
- As a healthcare administrator, consider how policies, organizational culture, and other factors can lead to patient dumping. How does the professional code of ethics apply to this situation?
By Wednesday
Post your Discussion, to include the following:
- Explain the factors that contributed to the case of patient dumping presented in the video resource. Be sure to use an ethical framework for your analysis.
- From an organizational culture perspective, what could have been done to prevent this incident from happening again? As a healthcare leader at this facility, what would you have done to ensure patient’s individual and legal rights, dignity, and safety were preserved?
Support your response by identifying and explaining key points and/or examples presented in the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. Consider how your colleagues’ postings relate to the information presented in the Learning Resources and to your own posting.
Refer to the Week 2 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.
By Friday
Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
- Share an insight that you gained from having read your colleague’s initial post.
- Offer advice to a clinical skilled employee at this facility on whether it’s more appropriate to offer care or do nothing.
Continue engaging in the Discussion through Sunday
SOLUTION HLTH 8301 Week 2 Discussion: Conflict Between Ethics and Financial Incentives
Hello Class,
Factors Contributing to Patient Dumping in Baltimore
The patient dumping incident in Baltimore reflects systemic, financial, and ethical failures in healthcare. Patient dumping, defined as prematurely discharging vulnerable patients into unsafe environments, highlights the intersection of organizational practices and societal neglect…
Kindly click the purchase icon below to buy the full solution at $5