These Things Happen Discussion Post Response #2

Description

Discussion Post Response: A recommendation to the CEO would begin with an acknowledgment of the work that had been completed to date on this topic, as well as efforts to alert them that the process should not considered to be concluded. There are several items within the existing report which reflect on status and professional ranking such as the historic market share of the oncology program; a recent decline in revenue of the program; and a competitor’s entry into the market with skilled clinicians. While these are factual details, none of them have any real relevance to the issue at hand, which is that a reported “….22 oncology patients had received radiation therapy doses  in excess of what had been prescribed for them.” (UMGC Faculty, These things happen, n.d.  p. 2 pp. 7).            While physicians may feel that the decision as to whether to inform or not inform the patients of this discrepancy in their treatment is theirs alone, that reaction can be managed in this process by explaining to the physicians that as the error occurred as a result of equipment calibration, as the owner of the equipment the hospital is permitted to also have a role in the decision-making process. An effective approach to working with the physicians would be to frame the discussions as a human resource function, and use the following chart as a touchstone for addressing different activities around which to develop consensus (UMGC Faculty, Employees,  n.d.)                  Utilizing the Policies and Workplace Rules reference from the chart, the physicians would be able to identify that a decision to inform the patients was consistent with hospital policies, and they would also learn that there was no language which supported a decision to withhold this type of information. A similar path would occur when the Compliance reference was considered from the chart, as both hospital and clinical regulators support patients being informed. In using this approach, the recommendation to the CEO is being grounded in a conflict avoidance strategy of facilitating communication and executing a vision of expanding the patient engagement process for which many hospitals are adding to their mission statements (Al-Sawai, 2013).            An additional reference for the CEO to utilize as a tool with the physicians would be Risk Management & Workers Comp, with the Risk Management feature being the relevant topic. Relating to liability, liability already exists as everyone acknowledges that the patient exposure to excess radiation has occurred. The hospital’s contract with its insurance carrier requires the hospital to inform the carrier of any incidents and events which happen that can lead to a claim; the hospital is not permitted to only tell the carrier after a claim has been filed. The ability to have this incident remain confidential becomes more remote as more and more administrators, outside vendors, board members and clinicians become involved, so continued silence begins to appear to more like a cover-up than a medical decision.            As a way to expedite the delivery of the information to the patients, the CEO could offer to have a member of the hospital’s administrative leadership meet with the patients and explain what has occurred, with the patient’s personal physician in attendance. In that manner, the physician may feel less threatened about the exposure of the error, and more willing to move towards a patient engagement process, where the physician can act as a facilitator in assisting the patient with next steps the patient identifies as being necessary. In doing so, the CEO would be adopting a Functional Leadership Model, which emphasize effective patient care over more efficient operations (Al-Touby, 2012). References Al-Sawai, A., (2013). Leadership of healthcare professionals: Where do we stand? Oman Medical Journal. 28(4). 285-287. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725246/ Al-Touby, S. (2012). Functional results-oriented healthcare leadership: A novel leadership model. Oman Medical Journal. 27(2). 104-107.                                                                                                                                                     https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22496933/   UMGC Faculty. (n.d.) These things happen. UMGC HCAD 660 Discussions 8.2. Retrieved February 28, 2021 from                      https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/545160/discussions/List?ou=545160 UMGC Faculty. (n.d.). Employees. UMGC HCAD 660 Content Week 8. Retrieved February 28, 2021 from https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/545160/viewContent/20358311/View