Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013 - (Page 39)

The Imperative of a Moral Compass– Driven Healthcare Organization W illiaM a. n elSon , hFache Or g an i z a t i o n a l et h i c s , a branch of the broader healthcare ethics William A. Nelson, PhD, HFACHE, is an associate professor at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, and adjunct associate professor at Robert Wagner School for Public Service, New York University. He also serves as an adviser to the ACHE Ethics Committee. Wil l ia m A. N e l s on, H FAC H E • 39 C o m m e n t a r y arena, is often seen as theoretical, with limited connection to what is deemed the real world of today’s healthcare organizations. the feature articles by John J. Donnellan Jr., facHe, and ruth W. Brinkley, rn, facHe, differ. Both authors live or have lived in that real world of executive leadership, where they addressed the many challenges in healthcare management and leadership. they focus on the importance of ethics and values in healthcare organizations from the perspective of healthcare executives. Donnellan is a recently retired director of large, multifacility, metropolitan Department of veterans affairs hospitals, and Brinkley is the ceo of a growing healthcare system. the authors come to an overlapping conclusion that ethics and values hold a central place in the life of an organization—that ethical behavior and practices are integral to delivering high-quality patient care and ensuring the healthcare organization’s success. the content of the articles is significant, but so is the fact that they are both written from the viewpoint of leaders who guide complex organizations. for Brinkley and Donnellan, ethics and values are not thought of so much as window dressing or slogans as they are foundational to healthcare organizations; they set the direction for the organization’s culture and approach to patient care and, ultimately, are key contributing factors to the success of the organization.

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