Ethical and legal duties of health care administrators - Essay Example

Ethical and legal duties of health care administrators "Appearance May Not Be Reality" is one of the many scenarios that healthcare facilities may take advantage of ‘small issues’ yet endangering to our welfare. Healthcare facilities are responsible for many people’s well-being and in some cases, they represent the choice between life and death, because of this, it is expected that they be held with highest standards of integrity and ethics (ACHE, 2011). It is unfortunate that in the case of "Appearance May Not Be Reality", the Jones family could be endangering their family’s well-being unknowing due to some of the unethical practices portrayed by General Hospital staff (Pozgar, 2012).

Providing false data in order to convince the public of the hospital good performance is a serious display of unethical standards. The fact that the staff members were aware of these false data and they did not take any step in correcting or reporting the issues is also a serious display of unethical standards (Pozgar, 2012). The public relies on what is presented to them by the people that are entrusted with the management and running of the organizations that serve them. It is these individuals duty to give the public a clear picture of the organizations strengths and weaknesses so that the public can make the right and informed decision when seeking for services.

Not only are the actions taken by General hospital unethical, but also they created a serious legal liability for the organization. If patients are directly or indirectly harmed as a result of these false information, they could sue the organization for presenting them with false information that put their life at risk (AHIMA, 2013). As an administrator, some of the elements from ACHE code of ethics (2011) that would help me determine the right course of action include the first element on responsibility to the healthcare profession.

I would also utilize the element of responsibility to the organization by “being truthful in all forms of professional and organizational communication, and avoid disseminating information that is false, misleading, or deceptive”. Finally use my responsibility to report violations of the code. Following these elements to guide me through my decisions will not only uphold my integrity and ethical standards to the profession, but it will also make a significant change towards improved health care delivery.

The first step to take is question those in control of the situation and applies disciplinary action as per the healthcare profession states. The next step is to request for a management change, since an organization’s leadership has a direct influence to its culture and behavior and for such a case to happen it shows serious concerns on the management side. The last step to take is to make an action plan on how the correct data will be relied to the public without damaging the hospitals reputation.

This is very important information for people such as the Jones family and it would be best if they make a decision based on true data and not because they were coerced into making the decision that could potential create future conflict. Administrators have the power to decide in which direction an organization is heading. If an organization faces serious legal problems and public mistrust because of unethical behavior then the first persons to blame is the administrators. Their role is therefore to safeguard the organizations culture by setting standards and monitoring the organizations performance.

To operationalize ethical and legal standards in an organization, administrators should at all times function as the organization’s moral advocates and models (ACHE, 2011).ReferencesACHE. (2011, November 14). About ACHE. Retrieved from American College of Healthcare Executives: http://www.ache.org/policy/environ.cfmACHE. (2011, November 14). ACHE Code of Ethics. Retrieved from American College of Healthcare Executives: http://www.ache.org/abt_ache/code.cfmAHIMA. (2013). Integrity of the Healthcare Record: Best Practices for EHR Documentation.

Journal of AHIMA 84, no.8 , 58-62. Retrieved from AHIMA: http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_050286.hcsp?dDocName=bok1_050286Pozgar, G. D. (2012). Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.