Healthcare's ethical obligation to patients treatment

It may seem that the hospital has a clear-cut ethical responsibility to offer free or reduced-cost care for all of those in need of medical attention, but in reality they don’t. Millions of uninsured Americans come into hospital wanting and expecting treatment for their illness, then at the sight of their medical bill become infuriated when the cost seems high. Contrary to peoples beliefs hospitals are a major business, and like any other business they strive from profit. If a hospital loses enough money through providing care for those who cannot afford it, it will eventually be forced to close. Ethically a hospital can not deny any person from medical treatment in the U.S insured or not, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be billed for it. Medical equipment, personnel, etc provided to a hospital needs to be funded. Allowing a hospital to operate in a way that allows treatment to go unpaid for jeopardizes the hospitals continuing existence and threatens to put hundreds out of employment. As a future hospital administrator I’m forced to look at this issue with a business point a view. I feel that it is impractical and even shortsighted to think that the hospital is acting unethically when they are only asking for the funds needed to treat the person.

Withholding treatment at the end of life.

When a patient isn’t capable of eating because he or she is ill, a healthcare provider is forced to make the decision of providing nutrition and hydration through intravenous hydration and a feeding tube. Healthcare providers usually don’t have a problem with starting this process, but withholding it at the end of life often becomes an issue that both physicians and family members face. Some people consider medically provided nutrition and hydration a basic human need, and subjecting the patient to a painful death through starvation and dehydration is immoral and barbaric. I feel that patients who aren’t going to recover from their illness should be taken off of feeding tubes by withholding the basic nutrients and hydration needed to live. Research studies have proven that forgoing nutrition and hydration near the end of life leads to greater patient comfort. In fact the study showed that these patients generally did not experience thirst or hunger through this process. People are getting feeding tubes confused with actual drink and food, which is not the case. Feeding tubes are small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach which provides the hydration and nutrients the patient needs to live. Now to me that sounds more barbaric.

Bribery in Healthcare

Bribery has become one of the major issues of medical ethics that doesn't necessarily concern directly dealing with the patient. Doctors are often offered bribes by pharmaceutical companies, in an attempt to have those doctors prescribe the pharmaceutical companies' drugs more often. I feel that by doing this would put the doctor in conflict with important principles of medical ethics, such as the importance of putting the patients' interests first. The patient being prescribe unnecessary medication can become detrimental to their well being. The patient could become addicted with the quantity increase of medication. Also the numerous about of unnecessary pills could cause liver problems and other health related risk that stems from a lot of pill consumption. This type of bribe conflicts with the integrity of the medical profession. I believed that doctors are taught to work their hardest and do what they believe in their hearts to be the best decisions. Prescribing medications for money takes away that highly valued principle, and the trust of the patient.

Should medical errors be withheld from the patient?

Medical errors will forever continue as long as healthcare providers are still human. Once a medical error has they occured, what should be the attitude of the medical profession? Should it be to withhold such information from patients? since ‘what they don't know can't hurt them’ or should such information be honestly disclosed to patients and the appropriate measures taken to redress and prevent any such errors in future? I feel as though it depends on the seriousness of the medical error. If the medical error has caused the patient any harm or a financial deficit due to a longer hospital stay, then i say tell them. I as the patient should know the reasoning behind any misfortune that may have occured while being treated.It isn't fair to keep me in the dark about anything that is negatively affecting me.On the other hand if a medical error has occured and nothing has been negatively affected by it then i say "don't tell me".Only thing that will occur by informing me of the error is angry and worry that could result in a number of consequences for the hospital.

Elderly health care causing unhealthy dilemmas

Recent breakthroughs in technology throughout the U.S health care industry have pioneered some of the boldest and most promising cancer treatments, surgical procedures, and genetically engineered drugs that have increased Americans life expectancy. Unfortunately the same technologies that are helping Americans live longer are also increasing demands on the health care system from a growing population of senior citizens. Questions are now being raised about when and from whom treatments should be withheld? Competition for the scarce medical resources of the health care system grows beyond the system's capacity to provide care for everyone. I believe the best solution to this ethical issue would be rationing out the health care delivered to the elderly. the health of the young can be ensured by relatively cheap preventive measures such as exercise programs and health education, the medical conditions of the elderly are often complicated, requiring the use of expensive technologies and treatments often, these treatments are ineffective in providing any tangible benefit for either patient or society. I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but prolonging the lives of the elderly who no longer serve any use for society seems to be very wasteful. As a health care administer I can’t allow myself to become influenced by doing what sounds right all the time, unfortunately the health care industry has become a business and like every other business sometimes you have to do what’s better for the business. In this case I feel like rationing treatment for the elderly is for the betterment of the U.S. Basically the costs to prolong the life of one elderly person might be more productively directed toward the treatment of a far greater number of younger persons whose health can be ensured by less costly measures.

Human Resources helping family wellness

The health nags in human resources have exhausted every possible idea to guide individual employees into good health.That's why the next front in the Wellness Wars is not about the employee. It's about their husbands, wives, and kids. While most big companies already have employee wellness programs, the newest trend is expanding those efforts to include dependents. I feel that this is a great idea for the fact the employees aren't using these benefits themselves. Not to mention those who have to trick health facilities in order to help family members receive insurance. This also will help to motive those employees who weren't willing to get on the program. Perhaps seeing that their family members are taking the positive steps to better themselves,will provide that push for the employee to take his or her heath more seriously. this battle is about more than slimming down and lowering blood pressure. Many policy experts believe that workplace wellness programs have great cost-cutting potential. A recent meta-analysis of existing studies by two Harvard professors published in the February issue of the journal Health Affairs found that for every dollar companies spend on employee wellness, medical costs fall an average of $3.27.

Healthcare recruiting

Recruitment in health care is an ever changing process and happens in many different forms and by many different means. There is no industry that is more primitive in recruiting than healthcare. This is not to say that all healthcare organizations are awful at recruiting; those who have mastered 21st century recruiting approaches achieve phenomenal success. The most two commonly known reasons why recruiting is such a weak point in health care are that too many healthcare organizations are putting doctors in management roles, and nurses and other healthcare professionals in the recruiting and HR positions. Health care organizations put doctors into management roles because they have more education under their belt and have the credentials to carry out the organizations charter. Unfortunately doctors aren’t trained in management, so they aren’t equipped with the proper management tools to handle issues like unexcited employees and incentives. Nurses being assigned positions in the HR department and as recruiters are also an issue because these professionals aren’t properly educated or trained in these specific areas of the health care organization. The solution for both issues would be to hiring employees who specifically specialize in the HR department and recruiting. This is a more costly option for the organization at first but eventually will save a lot of money in the end when the turnover rate is down