Organization Ethics in Health Care

The ethical aspects of the operation of healthcare organizations (HCOs) are central to the delivery of health care. Organization Ethics in Health Care begins by assessing the shortcomings of clinical ethics, business ethics, and professional ethics as a basis for solving problems that have emerged in healthcare delivery systems since the advent of managed care. The text focuses on the meaning of the developent of the HCO in our society and what its present status is. The authors point out that moral parameters endorsed by society have guided previous shifts in the relationships among important HCO stakeholders, but that these parameters have been unclear or missing altogether during the past tumultous decade. Finally, they describe the key elements for the successful implementation of a fully functioning healthcare organization ethics program and what it can mean to the institution, its associated clinicians and employees, its patients, and its community. Moving from theory to practical application, this book will serve as an excellent student text, a professional guide, and a reference work.

Table of Contents:
1: Introduction 2: A Philosophical Basis for Organization Ethics 3: Clinical Ethics and Organizatin Ethics 4: Business Ethics and Organization Ethics 5: Professional Ethics and Organization Ethics 6: Relationship of Social Climate to the Historical 7: The Ethical Climate in Today's Healthcare Organization 8: Developing a positive Ethical Climate in the Healthcare Organization 9: Instituting an Organization Ethics Program 10: Compliance, Risk Management and Quality Improvement Programs 11: Organization Ethics Activities and Their Evaluation 12: Conclusion

Review :
"The authors have a broader and more comprehensive intent: namely to develop an account of the ethics of the entire health care organization, integrating business, clinical management, and professional ethics. It is an ambitious project that is generally well executed. The authors effectively meld ideas from disparate fields in order to develop their overall goal. The discussion nicely links the question of organization ethics in health care with the broader and more developed field of business ethics. This connection is important....(continued below) (continued from above)The authors do not intend to provide a handbook, but they do see their work as establishing a practical framework for thinking about the challenges posed by organizations. Their goal is admirably met. One can only hope that chief operating officers, chief executives, and members of boards of directors and others in positions of leadership in health care organizations will read and seriously consider this work. Bioethicists, too, who have long worked on public policy aspects of health care ethics and clinical ethics, would do well to think seriously about organization ethics."--Hastings Center Report