NUR 621 Topic 2 DQ 2
answer:
Uninsured patients can impact the financial status of a health care organization. What are the ethical implications and impacts of distributing scarce resources to uninsured patients? How do you balance the cost of business versus the quality of care in order to ensure all patients are treated fairly and receive their needed care?
Unaided patients can have a significant impact on the financial status of a health care organization. As health care systems shift to pay for quality rather than volume, the ethical implications of distributing scarce resources are exposed. The cost of business needs to be balanced with the quality of care given to all patients.
As a healthcare manager you recognize that the economic status of the business can be impacted by patients not paying their medical bills. The ethical issue of unpaid medical bills is; given limited resources, are all patients treated fairly and receive the care that they need? What factors affect the distribution of financial resources when dealing with uninsured patients?
Uninsured patients who utilize a health care organization’s emergency department (ED) services increases the cost of care by $2,000 per visit. Research demonstrates that many uninsured patients have five or more ED visits over the course of a year. This study focuses on what community hospitals are doing to increase access to preventative care and decrease ED usage, as well as the ethical implications of distributing scarce resources.
It is imperative that health care organizations treat uninsured patients to avoid violations of fair treatment ethics.
Patients without insurance are no longer a concern for the health care industry with the emergence of Self Pay ER One. Careful research, consideration of resources, and an understanding of ethical implications allows us to be in good conscience to provide our services to all patients who need it most.
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question:
Uninsured patients can impact the financial status of a health care organization. What are the ethical implications of distributing scarce resources? How do you balance the cost of business versus the quality of care in order to ensure all patients are treated fairly and receive the care that they need?