Managerial Ethics in Healthcare

Book excerpt: Foreword by Stephen Shortell, PhD, Dean of the School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley The ethical behavior of a healthcare organization is the expression of its moral core. This book shows how the integrity and values of professional healthcare administrators contribute to defining and implementing the organization's moral core. Through conceptual and practical tools--including 30 cases--this book provides a new perspective that recognizes that every decision you make and every activity you undertake have the potential to compromise or enhance the moral core of your healthcare organization. Decisions with ethical implications are described and explored through the experiences of thought leaders, scholars, and healthcare executives. The book demonstrates how personal integrity and values affect decision making, including: Understanding an organization's moral core and how it is expressed in the organization's culture and in operations and decisions at all levels Using concepts, resources, and tools that prepare you to sustain and enhance the moral core of the healthcare organization you manage Assessing the ethical and legal frameworks currently relied on by healthcare organizations to preserve this moral core Acknowledging why personal value systems are important and how they are developed by healthcare administrators Exploring the idea of organizational culture and ethical climate and examining what role they have in formulating and maintaining the moral core Learning how to recognize and manage moral distress, which develops when personal values conflict with the culture of the organization Application of the American College of Healthcare Executives competency assessment tool provides a unique learning experience and relates content to the specific elements of this tool. Instructor Resources include PowerPoint slides with discussion questions and teaching tips.