The culture of a health care organization, whether big or small, plays an important role in the ethical decision-making it undertakes, according to the Ethics Resource Center. When small businesses serving the health care industry place more emphasis on profit, they risk losing their integrity. Health care practices that are more concerned with their place in the market often face greater challenges in maintaining ethical standards. On the other hand, an organization that promotes a thoughtful culture fosters decision-making based on what’s best for your patients, your staff and the community as a whole.
Clinics and small health care practices are continually under pressure to control costs just as much -- or more than -- large hospitals. Rising costs for supplies, drugs and personnel leave business owners with reduced profits that can lead to unethical decisions. Opportunities for fraud, payoffs, theft and favoritism abound. As an employer, you face the challenges of managing a diverse population and the associated expectations to treat employees fairly while managing your practice and reducing costs. The drive to find and retain the highest-paying customers forces many small practice owners to make decisions that often conflict with the ethical standards to which they initially subscribed. The community suffers when small practices refuse to treat everyone, taking on patients who only have the ability to pay full price for their services.
Doctors face increasing challenges to their ethical standards when offered incentives by pharmaceutical companies to purchase various drugs. Doctors driven by greed often purchase drugs from manufacturers and resell them to patients at a profit. Medical equipment manufacturers induce doctors to order expensive diagnostic equipment through kickbacks and paid trips. Insurance companies place enormous pressure on doctors to falsify coding reports to earn their fees. To earn sufficient reimbursement fees, they often report misleading diagnoses. Conflict of interest erodes ethical standards when physicians are lured by money instead of the prospect of suitable patient care.
Quality of care suffers when an organization does not practice ethical behavior. Administrators, doctors and other health care workers provide ineffective care when their priorities become skewed. Care eventually is eroded when the organization’s culture promotes greed and power over patient-centered care. By keeping patient care the first priority, smaller health care organizations enhance the quality of care in the community. Staff performance and morale improves when employees believe their concerns for quality patient care are backed up by the administration. Compliance with federal regulations and health care oversight offices is enhanced because an ethical culture rarely is in violation of the law.
Communication is the key to making sure your organization’s ethical standards are upheld by all staff and outside vendors. You can start by identifying all the stakeholders when making decisions, including the patients and the community at large. Get all the facts before making decisions, and relate each situation to the stated mission statement of the organization. Consider all the options when making decisions to ensure ethical solutions. Check with groups such as the American Medical Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives for guidance when questionable ethical issues arise that call for decisions. Review your organization’s decision-making practices regularly, and communicate the results of your decisions with staff members to maintain the practice of openness and accountability.
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