Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013 - (Page 8)

therefore, acute inpatient services may no longer be available in selected communities. at the same time, however, other communities may have an increased need for acute care services. the ethical discernment process will be critical as we decide how to address such situations. the process will create occasions to involve key community stakeholders in the identification of needs and future planning. it will also present opportunities to engage other provider partners who share KYone’s values. as community health Compassionate needs are identified and organizations recognize the prioritized, service delivimportance of delivering ery will require creativity, innovation, and collaborasafe, high-quality care and tion to ensure continuation give full consideration to of services to those who need them. at its best, the devastating impact that medical mistakes have the ethical discernment process produces decion patients and families. sions that truly reflect who organizations say they are to their communities. the process in itself shapes the culture of KYone as it engages employees, communities, and other key stakeholders in honest, and sometimes difficult, conversations. those conversations often reflect the very real struggle to make the best decisions possible in the context of conflicting needs and finite resources. How KentuckyOne Health Has Defined Its Values earlier, KYone’s values were identified as reverence, integrity, compassion, and excellence. our approach to defining those terms was complex and painstaking. for example, we ultimately defined reverence to mean that we will demonstrate profound respect for those served and those who serve. However, given the interplay of legacies, the initial discussion of this value focused on the concern that some people might perceive it as too religious. open, honest, and transparent conversations eventually led to a definition of “profound respect,” a deeper appreciation of the whole person who serves and is served. in addition, because respect does not convey the same depth of meaning as reverence, the two words were not seen as interchangeable. So at KYone, the value of reverence, defined in specific terms, will guide all relationships. each value is explored further in the following sections. Reverence the faith-based members of KYone may view reverence as expressing how god is incorporated into their everyday work in caring for patients and their particular communities. in terms of the entire organization, the reverence value is fulfilled by actively encouraging and expecting teamwork; participation; and the sharing of experience, information, and knowledge at all levels of the organization. in an organization that holds reverence as one of its values, diversity and teamwork are not just important principles; they are an everyday way of life. reverence guides how we treat every customer, patient, and family that enters the doors of any of our facilities. Most important, it guides how we treat each other, because we cannot show reverence to our patients and families if we do not revere each other. in addition, we cannot expect patients and families to feel comfortable receiving care and services in our facilities if they feel we lack understanding of who they are as persons, which includes their cultural 8 • f ro ntier s o f h ea lth 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