Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013 - (Page 30)

become fearful and uncertain as to how to act in particular situations. as Brinkley aptly states, “an organization where values do not guide decision making often has a history of unsatisfactory patient, physician, and employee experiences . . . and overall poor performance.” in the family of Yale new Haven Health organizations, of which greenwich Hospital is a part, the leadership practices emanate from the top. the greenwich Hospital president and ceo is the loudest cheerleader of service As our healthcare excellence. each week, he organizations operate holds standing meetings in these uncertain times with managers to review issues that have arisen in of healthcare reform, a patient questionnaires, strong sense of who we follow-up calls to patients, are, why we do what we walk-arounds in the do professionally, and why clinical areas, and other activities. the ceo lives we decided to become and breathes the culture, healthcare managers will and his employees see it be needed to guide us in through the support they making the right decisions. receive. this is one reason greenwich Hospital has been acknowledged as a leader in service excellence and remains a highly successful patient-centered organization. Bolstering this culture is consistency of beliefs and behaviors among greenwich Hospital leaders across time. this consistency provides a strong platform for employees to learn how to think and behave. it is the culture—greenwich Hospital’s vision and values—that defines this organization. as Donnellan states, “an organization’s ethical culture includes the values and beliefs that underlie day-to-day decision making as well as the observable daily behaviors and interactions of staff.” What Is at Risk When Values Do Not Guide Decisions? What would have happened if the town leaders of Southbury had not taken the time to reflect on the ultimate purpose of the Bund’s military training base and weigh it against their values? the lack of action would have led to the development of the twenty-fifth Bund military training site in the United States. its presence in Southbury would have conflicted with the townspeople’s values and beliefs in democracy, freedom, integrity, and sense of tolerance. Healthcare ethics represent moral values and behaviors that are, on the whole, accepted by society. ethical behavior that is rooted in documented statements protects patients and families from mistreatment, neglect, and abuse. Many professions within healthcare have their own code of ethics. for example, physicians take the Hippocratic oath: “first, do no harm.” adherence to the american college of Healthcare executives’ Code of Ethics is a requirement of membership, and Members who aspire to become a fellow of acHe must demonstrate knowledge of ethics to pass the Board of governors examination in Healthcare Management (acHe 2011). Similarly, hospitals and healthcare organizations have ethics codes that they expect all of their employees, physicians, and volunteers to follow. among the prevalent ethical issues faced by staff, clinicians, and volunteers are palliative care and death, the patient’s right to information, the patient’s right to make care choices, protection of healthcare information, and expectations of a standard of behavior among those providing care. 30 • f ro ntier s o f h ea lt h s e rvic e s m a na g e me nt 30 :1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013
Contents
Editorial
The Case for Values as a Basis for Organizational Culture
A Moral Compass for Management Decision Making: A Healthcare CEO’s Reflections
Ethics, Values, and Decision Making
Wanted: Morally Courageous Leaders
The Imperative of a Moral Compass–Driven Healthcare Organization

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013