Ethics in Health Services Management - Softcover

[T]he book succeeds in pushing readers to be critical of the ethics embedded in health management...[and] provides a nice introduction to ethics in health management...this new edition brings updated information and new data to the challenging subject.-- (03/16/2012) **Description** This brief primer on major ethical issues facing those in health services management positions updates the 2005 fourth edition. **Purpose** The purpose is to introduce students of health services management and those already in management positions to major ethical issues that they may face in the field. It seeks to provide an opportunity for managers to critique their previously held views and establish an ethic that carries through in their work. Ultimately, the book succeeds in pushing readers to be critical of the ethics embedded in health management. **Audience** The book is intended for both students and current health managers, and it meets the needs of both audiences with a good deal of success. The author presents the material in a manner that underscores his experience and expertise with health management and the ethical challenges inherent within the field. **Features** A brief discussion of ethical theories begins the book, which then proceeds to explore the application of the theories in a number of clinical and administrative scenarios through case analysis. These scenarios include ethical decision-making about patients and issues with the community as well as organizational complexities, including conflicts of interest and marketing in the managed care environment. Of particular note is the discussion throughout of how managers ought to represent the values of their institution while similarly developing their own personal ethic to guide them in addressing difficult ethical challenges. **Assessment** The author's encouragement to develop a personal ethic and to actively reflect the mission of the institution is laudable. However, he seems to overemphasize the health manager's authority in implementing a personal ethic to address ethically challenging issues, describing the manager as the "conscience" of the institution. Nonetheless, the book provides a nice introduction to ethics in health management and this new edition brings updated information and new data to the challenging subject. ----------------------------------------------------------- Weighted Numerical Score: 81 - 3 Stars--Ryan F Holmes, MA, Saint Louis University"Doody's Review Service" (03/16/2012)

The ethical dimensions of managing health services are daunting. The newest edition of Ethics in Health Services Management provides the principles to educate students and guide practitioners as they strive to make the "right" decision when ethical problems arise. This highly regarded volume teaches managers how to recognize and respond confidently to the challenges of ethics and conduct in health services management. Offering a solid foundation for effectively identifying and solving ethical problems, this book objectively examines teh difficult choices and ethical implications raised as managers operationalize the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. It examines the role of the organization's culture and its values, mission, and vision. Specific attention is given to the importance of the manager's personal ethic, various types of specialized ethics committees, and the role of professional codes of ethics. Further, the author thoughtfully explores numerous topics that affect contemporary health services organizations, including Moral frameworks to apply to one's personal ethic The importance of virtue ethics Futility theory and futile treatment guidelines Organizational philosophies and mission statements Selecting new staff members using values compatibility Systems conflict and conflicts of interest Quality improvement as an ethical imperative Determinants of patient consent Issues surrounding physician-assisted suicide and patient autonomy Ethics in marketing and managed care Challenges of resource allocation and much more Filled with practical, problem-solving strategies and useful tools, this updated and expanded text features more cases than the previous edition, including seven all-new cases. Also new to this edition are expanded attention to public health and the coordination of community health services. Ethics in Health Services Management will educate and inform those who would be leaders in health services organizations. Readers will come to understand their roles as moral agents, expected to balance the demands of the organization with the autonomy, primacy, and protection of patients. This is an indispensable text for health services management education and a primer for both clinical and nonclinical managers.