No Margin, No Mission: Health Care Organizations and the Quest for Ethical Excellence
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Author Description
Can the ethical mission of health care survive among organizations competing for survival in the marketplace? On this question hinges not only the future of health care in the US, but that of the health care systems of all advanced countries. This book presents both an analytic framework and a menu of pragmatic answers. The team of authors, physician-ethicists from Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health, worked with a consortium of health care organizations to explore some of the most challenging dilemmas in health care today: How can health plans determine medical necessity in a way that ensures quality care, controls costs, and builds trust with patients and physicians? What are the strategies for caring for vulnerable populations that meet their special neds without dramatically increasing costs? To answer these and other similar questions the authors blend ethical analysis with real-world example. The outcome is a rich analysis of the ethical challenges facing health care organizations, combined with tangible examples of exemplary methods to address these challenges. This book will help health care leaders, regulators, and policy makers incorporate exemplary practices, and the underlying themes they embody, into the very heart and soul of health care organizations.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates whether the ethical mission of health care organizations can coexist with the financial pressures of a competitive marketplace. The authors, a team of physician-ethicists from Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health, utilize a collaborative research approach involving various health care organizations. They present an analytical framework designed to reconcile the tension between fiscal sustainability and the delivery of high-quality, equitable patient care.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- An analytical framework for balancing financial margins with ethical obligations
- Strategies for defining medical necessity while maintaining patient trust
- Methods for addressing the needs of vulnerable populations within budget constraints
- Case studies of exemplary practices from a consortium of health care organizations
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the organizational and systemic level rather than individual clinical bedside ethics
- It does not provide a universal solution for all global health systems, focusing instead on advanced country models
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and health care administrators frequently cite this work as a foundational text for integrating ethical decision-making into organizational strategy. Readers often note the practical utility of the case studies in bridging the gap between abstract ethical theory and the realities of health care management.
Page Count:
176
Publication Date:
2003-01-01
ISBN-10:
0190289295
ISBN-13:
9780190289294
Health Care
Allied Health
Medical care
Medical Ethics
Public Policy
Business Ethics
Health Economics
Medical