In: Nursing
After working in a Psychological Hospital, processing the insurance billing for over a year, Robert was asked to give some additional help to a medical assistant working in another area of the hospital. While chatting with some of the staff in the office, Robert couldn’t help but notice a change in their behavior when Dr. Salazar came into the office. They seemed to have a level of disrespect and businesslike manner towards the Doctor. Their demeanor countered their previous playful bantering exhibited toward the other doctors who had come into the office earlier.
Robert watched as Dr. Salazar ordered one of his nurses to find all of his patients and have them stand against the wall outside of his small intake room. Robert noticed that Dr. Salazar spent between 5 to 7 minutes with each patient, herding them in and out of the tiny room, with little disregard to their concerns or their requests to discuss their issues with him further. Dr. Salazar had managed to see all of his patients, make notes and write scripts within an hour. After he left, Robert overheard the nurses gossiping about how Dr. Salazar was the “candy man” because he handed out medications like it was candy, and then billed the insurance company for 45 minutes for each patient.
What is Robert legally supposed to do with this information about Dr. Salazar, if any?
Has there been a violation legally or ethically? If so, what?
If Dr. Salazar’s actions are called into question and Robert does not speak up, can he be held liable? Why or why not?