Question

Case Study- I surveyed more than 500 hospitals. At one point I asked not to be placed on Veterans hospital accreditation surveys. Not all but some of the Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals were very argumentative fearing the possibility of written citations. So much so that on a ride from one VA hospital in Pennsylvania to a Pittsburgh VA the referring VA hospital sent 3 staff members to chauffeur me to the Pittsburgh VA. They all argued my concerns that a veteran on a 6-month waiting list for neurological consult was too long. They kept arguing, not discussing, that if he needed immediate attention he would have been referred to a local civilian hospital for care. I said, "In my opinion, if he needs a neurological consult, he needs it now. Not six months from now.

How would you as a healthcare administrator for the VA would handle this. What ethical issues are present in this situation? Based on your research, describe how different types of facilities (private nonprofit or private for-profit) might handle this facility.

Answer 1

In my views, a disease getting diagnosed at an early stage is 50% treatment done successfully. It is easier to treat a disease diagnosed at an early stage than when it becomes a deep rooted problem. So, in any case, I would like to facilitate the diagnosis as soon as possible to identify the disease and understand its stage. This facilitates the treatment and recovery of patient.

In this situation, the primary ethical issue is that though the patient needs immediate attention, he is given a wait time for 6 long months.

Private non-profit HCOs work for community benefit. So, in this case, they might will schedule the consultation immediately so that the individual gets diagnosed and treated early. Private for profit HCOs might take it as an opportunity for making profits. If the individual is able to pay higher fees, he may get a consultation immediately. If the individual does not have the capacity to pay such high, he will be asked to wait for months.