Unit 6 Discussion - Domko
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Park University *
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517
Subject
Health Science
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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Uploaded by DeanTankMonkey27
Memo
Date: 11/22/2023
To: Chief Medical Officer and Chief Financial Officer
From: Manager, Social Services/Ethics Committee Member
RE: Obstetric Services
Problem:
According to Toolwire (n.d.), the administration has been discussing whether Bright
Road should continue providing labor and delivery services. This is a contentious issue due to
competing interests such as the willingness and ability of the hospital to continue providing these
services in a cost-effective manner weighed against the overwhelming demand by the
community.
Reason
for
Recommendation:
To ensure that Bright Road makes a decision that is both ethical
and legal while preserving the business and the service to the community.
Module 6:
Ethical Implications of Patient Rights
1
Labor and Delivery Services
Keri M. Domko
Park University
HA517DL
:
Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare Administration
Dr. James Baird
November 22, 2023
Module 6:
Ethical Implications of Patient Rights
2
Problem Statement
Currently, Dr. Miller is the only OB/Gyn at Bright Road (the hospital)
with no staff for back up. There is staff that can help in an emergency until Dr.
Miller arrives, but none with her qualifications. Bright Road is currently the only
hospital in the community that provides labor and delivery (L&D) services, but
the hospital does not have a budget to hire a second OB/Gyn. Does the hospital
terminate L&D services or come up with a plan to maintain services without
continuing to overburden Dr. Miller (Toolwire, n.d.)
Recommendations
It is recommended to keep the labor and deliver department. There are a few
things that can be done to help drive the costs down and ease the burden on Dr. Miller. The
family practitioner can act as a backup labor and delivery since malpractice insurance is not paid
by the clinician, but the hospital. This would decrease our overall cost of insurance since the
workload per provider will drop which will decrease the risk along with malpractice insurance
premiums. According to Gallagher (n.d.), hospitals need medical malpractice insurance. When
hospitals purchase insurance, it is known as hospital professional liability (HPL) insurance. The
hospitals will insure many of the doctors and healthcare providers who work there. While hiring
a second OB/GYN is not currently in the financial budget, it is something to look at in the future.
It is imperative to involve the public affairs officer with education to the community
about the importance of prenatal care. This should be provided in all languages spoken within the
community. A greater availability of knowledge will help new mothers make more informed
decisions about their health as well as that of their unborn child. The U.S. Department of Health
Module 6:
Ethical Implications of Patient Rights
3
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and Human Services (n.d.) states that getting early, and regular prenatal care improves the
chances of a health pregnancy. This care can begin even before pregnancy with a pre-pregnancy
care visit to a health care provider.
There is an underserved portion of the community that is afraid to come into the hospital
because they are not citizens and don't have health insurance from the government, nor can they
afford private health insurance. This causes delay in prenatal care, resulting in a higher risk to
both mother and baby. It would be a beneficial practice to allow qualified nurses to provide basic
prenatal education in a satellite location outside the hospital where more of the young mothers
are comfortable to be seen and at a lower cost than our normal private hospital rates. Yu et al
(2017) shows that
Mobile Health Clinics (MHCs) are an innovative model of healthcare delivery
that could help alleviate health disparities in vulnerable populations and individuals with chronic
diseases. Indeed, some studies have concluded that MHCs are particularly impactful in the
following contexts: offering urgent care, providing preventative health screenings, and initiating
chronic disease management.
There is a local clinic, but it is not a satisfactory substitution for
hospital labor and delivery services as the quality of care is not an adequate level. Again, with
education, these members of our community are more likely to engage in early prenatal care.
Summary
With more mothers participating in first trimester pre-natal care, the risk of complications
is greatly reduced and will also lower the malpractice insurance premiums for both Dr. Miller
and her back up. There is currently a great relationship with the community. If the hospital
discontinues this valuable service, that relationship could be damaged in a way that would not be
favorable to the hospital nor the community. There would likely be a risk of greater financial loss
by causing the community to think that the "bottom line" is more important than the health and
Module 6:
Ethical Implications of Patient Rights
4
well-being of the community members. According to Health Management (2017),
In today’s
challenging healthcare climate, hospitals are competing fiercely over patients and qualified staff.
Reputation plays an essential role in this battle, and more and more hospitals are taking an
interest in enhancing their reputations.
References
Gallagher. (n.d.).
Common medical malpractice insurance policy forms
.
Gallagher. https://www.gallaghermalpractice.com/resources/introduction-to-
medical-malpractice/#:~:text=When%20hospitals%20purchase
%20insurance%2C%20it%20is%20known%20as,this%20because%20of
%20the%20size%20of%20the%20hospital.
HealthManagement.org. (2017, April 7).
7 ways to maximize your hospital’s
reputation
. HealthManagement.
https://healthmanagement.org/c/hospital/whitepaper/7-ways-to-maximize-
your-hospital-s-reputation
Toolwire. (Producer). (n.d.). Health Care Ethics: Navigate 2 Scenario: Labor and Delivery
Services. (Scenario) [Video file].
Module 6:
Ethical Implications of Patient Rights
5
https://canvas.park.edu/courses/77636/discussion_topics/1629142?
module_item_id=5575103
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.).
What is prenatal care and
why is it important?
. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development.
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/prenatal-
care
Yu, S. W. Y., Hill, C., Ricks, M. L., Bennet, J., & Oriol, N. E. (2017, October 5).
The scope and impact of mobile health clinics in the United States: A
literature review
. International journal for equity in health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5629787/
Module 6:
Ethical Implications of Patient Rights
6
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