Corporate Governance
&
Ethical Responsibility

So, we all can probably agree that we have a checklist of characteristics we look for in medical facilities and medical staff. Hospitals around the world face various issues both minor and major. How does a director or president of a medical facility respond to a great facility that has a host of medical staff that doesn’t have the patient’s best interest? We read and hear about the consequences of medical staff that do not practice good work ethics in the workforce. Many well established medical personnel’s across the United States today are losing their jobs and damaging their reputation behind fraud, negligence, lack of work ethics, and careless decisions. Dr. DoRight is a doctor who is being offered a new job with a bigger responsibility. Unaware what he is getting himself into; he accepts the new position as well as the baggage that follows.
Dr. DoRight has his work definitely cut out for him. The situations that he has to face determine his code of ethics, ethical responsibilities and duties, corporate governance relationship, and his very own persona. Let’s examine more thoroughly the situations that Dr. DoRight is facing
Dr. DoRight has recently been hired as the President of the “Universal Human Care Hospital”, where he oversees all departments with over 5,000 employees and over 20,000 patients at the medical facility. He has been provided with a broad set of duties and oversight of numerous departments, including business development, customer services, human resources, legal, patient advocacy, to name a few. He has managers in each department that he supervises and who work with him to address the needs of the various internal and external stakeholders of the hospital. Dr. DoRight discovers that some patients within the hospital have been dying as a result of a variety of illegal procedures by doctors and nurses, and negligent supervision and oversight on their part. This was brought to his attention in a few meetings and he told his Regional Director Compliance Manager and Executive Committee in January 2009. He was told by them that the matter would be investigated and they would report any findings to him as soon as possible.
After two (2) years, there have been no results from the investigation and some patients are still passing away due to the negligent activities. He also answers to a board of trustees and interfaces with numerous community organizations and corporations who have various reasons for doing business with the hospital. Dr. DoRight continues to win awards for his leadership of the hospital and meeting business goals. He was recently named “Medical Business Executive of the Year” in 2011.
With the situations that Dr. DoRight has to gain control over it is very important to know the relationships that the hospital has between external and internal stakeholders. These relationships are part of the hospital and are required in order for the hospital to function on one accord. The staff needs to be aware that their behaviors play large roles in the support system that external and internal stakeholders offer. After meeting with the large staffing team, and patients, Dr. DoRight has to meet with various external and internal stakeholders as well.
Determine internal and external stakeholders that Dr. DoRight might have to deal with on a daily basis at the hospital. Customers, suppliers, partners, community, insurance companies and society are external stakeholders that Dr. DoRight has to maintain positive relationships with on a daily basis. Dr. DoRight has to deal with several stakeholders on a daily basis at the hospital both internal and external stakeholders. When we speak of external stakeholders, we focus on the individuals or groups who are outside the hospital. These individuals or groups are responsible for the functions in all the areas outside the hospital.
One major stakeholder is the customers (patients)