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In the case of Paradise Hills Medical Center, the truth behind the organization’s medical error was kept secret for fear of a tainted image and potential malpractice lawsuits. More specifically, patients of Paradise Hill were given excess dosages of radiation therapy by the center’s medical staff and as a result, many of these patients had adverse effects. Consequently, the medical center suffered a variety of negative outcomes as a result of withholding information from patients, including: lawsuit settlements, tension among the facility’s staff, a tarnished image, loss of a group practice, and a general sense of mistrust among the organization’s employees (Perry, 2002).
The decision to withhold information from patients was the result of the medical center’s CEO and medical staff. The controversy over whether or not to inform the patients of the center’s medical errors was initially taken to the organization’s ethics committee for consideration. The committee deemed that the medical staff should in fact notify the patients of the error and monitor them for adverse effects. However, the organization’s ethics committee is an advisory committee only and does not comprise the power to make final rulings in management’s decision making ability. Therefore, the center’s medical staff and CEO chose to ignore the committee’s recommendations and keep the information from the affected patients.
Now, a few elements of this situation strike me as odd and very unethical in nature. First, the fact that the medical center’s CEO was quick to side with the medical staff in covering up the medical errors was a good indication of the CEO’s values (or lack thereof). As stated in the ACHE Code of Ethics, “The healthcare executive shall uphold the values, ethics and mission of the healthcare management profession and conduct all personal and professional activities with honesty, integrity, respect, fairness, and good faith in a manner that will reflect well upon the profession.” Clearly, the CEO did not exemplify honesty nor did he show respect and fairness to his center’s patients. Informing patients of the medical error would have shown respect to the patient; such an act would have reflected well on the organization. Instead, the center chose to lie by omission to its patients in order to keep their reputation in tact.
Furthermore, why does an organization even have a well trained ethics committee if management does not have to adhere to the guidelines and/or recommendations given by this group of individuals? It appears to me that management chose to overlook the committee’s recommendations for the sake of their professional careers. I highly doubt the medical staff just wanted to “keep bad news” from the patients in an effort to make them “feel better.” Bottom line, management’s decision boiled down to revenue. Management feared that by releasing such information to the patients, the organization’s image would become tarnished and would thus result in fewer patients and less money for everybody. In this decision, money and job security outweighed the decision to respect the patient.
Perhaps the negative consequences that took place at Paradise Hills Medical Center could have been avoided by simply telling the truth and informing the patient of the medical error when it occurred. Instead, the organization chose to hide such information in hopes that it would never reach the patients and become news to the public. Obviously this decision backfired on the center and caused more harm to the organization (and patients) than good. I would imagine that Paradise Hills (and the center’s CEO) immediately lost its credibility with patients, the community and the organization’s various stakeholders (were the stakeholders even made aware of this decision?). Moreover, I believe that the facility ultimately lost credibility within its own institution among its staff.
Finally, what type of tone and/or example is the CEO setting for the organization by not telling the truth and going against the recommendations of his/her ethics committee and ACHE Code of Ethics? Could this type of conduct trickle through the rest of the organization and cause other employees to act unethically and dishonestly? If so, what types of consequences would that render for both employees and patients? A strong set of values and a good moral compass should be a requirement of any individual working with human beings and human life. Healthcare employees are not building cars or selling clothes, they are caring for people just like themselves. Should we not treat others the way in which we ourselves would like to be treated?
The decision to withhold information from patients was the result of the medical center’s CEO and medical staff. The controversy over whether or not to inform the patients of the center’s medical errors was initially taken to the organization’s ethics committee for consideration. The committee deemed that the medical staff should in fact notify the patients of the error and monitor them for adverse effects. However, the organization’s ethics committee is an advisory committee only and does not comprise the power to make final rulings in management’s decision making ability. Therefore, the center’s medical staff and CEO chose to ignore the committee’s recommendations and keep the information from the affected patients.
Now, a few elements of this situation strike me as odd and very unethical in nature. First, the fact that the medical center’s CEO was quick to side with the medical staff in covering up the medical errors was a good indication of the CEO’s values (or lack thereof). As stated in the ACHE Code of Ethics, “The healthcare executive shall uphold the values, ethics and mission of the healthcare management profession and conduct all personal and professional activities with honesty, integrity, respect, fairness, and good faith in a manner that will reflect well upon the profession.” Clearly, the CEO did not exemplify honesty nor did he show respect and fairness to his center’s patients. Informing patients of the medical error would have shown respect to the patient; such an act would have reflected well on the organization. Instead, the center chose to lie by omission to its patients in order to keep their reputation in tact.
Furthermore, why does an organization even have a well trained ethics committee if management does not have to adhere to the guidelines and/or recommendations given by this group of individuals? It appears to me that management chose to overlook the committee’s recommendations for the sake of their professional careers. I highly doubt the medical staff just wanted to “keep bad news” from the patients in an effort to make them “feel better.” Bottom line, management’s decision boiled down to revenue. Management feared that by releasing such information to the patients, the organization’s image would become tarnished and would thus result in fewer patients and less money for everybody. In this decision, money and job security outweighed the decision to respect the patient.
Perhaps the negative consequences that took place at Paradise Hills Medical Center could have been avoided by simply telling the truth and informing the patient of the medical error when it occurred. Instead, the organization chose to hide such information in hopes that it would never reach the patients and become news to the public. Obviously this decision backfired on the center and caused more harm to the organization (and patients) than good. I would imagine that Paradise Hills (and the center’s CEO) immediately lost its credibility with patients, the community and the organization’s various stakeholders (were the stakeholders even made aware of this decision?). Moreover, I believe that the facility ultimately lost credibility within its own institution among its staff.
Finally, what type of tone and/or example is the CEO setting for the organization by not telling the truth and going against the recommendations of his/her ethics committee and ACHE Code of Ethics? Could this type of conduct trickle through the rest of the organization and cause other employees to act unethically and dishonestly? If so, what types of consequences would that render for both employees and patients? A strong set of values and a good moral compass should be a requirement of any individual working with human beings and human life. Healthcare employees are not building cars or selling clothes, they are caring for people just like themselves. Should we not treat others the way in which we ourselves would like to be treated?
If I was a patient in this scenario, I would have liked for my medical provider to inform me of my own wellbeing or complications related to my care. In my opinion, such an act of dishonesty should not be tolerated in a medical facility regardless of the positive or negative outcomes associated with a decision. I would recommend that Paradise Hills fire their CEO and take a long, hard look at their mission statement and overall values of the organization. What is Paradise Hills really in business for? Is it to serve and protect their patients or to increase their “bottom line?” I sincerely hope the answer is not of the latter response. If so, as patients we are all in a world of trouble.
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