Running a service-oriented business is never easy. One has to deal with a lot of things and consider a lot of factors in order to manage the business effectively. Policies are always set for the purpose of achieving the goals of the company and at the same time, adhering to the laws of the state and contributing to the common good. Being a case manager requires knowledgeable field and relevant experience to resolve issues concerning the benefits of the clients and the company as well.
A health center has the responsibility to meet the needs of its patients. Sometimes, it has to impose policies that are against the existing ones to ensure the survival and growth of the center as a business entity. The clients are needed to be carefully informed of these policies and rules because they are the ones who are directly affected when these policies take into effect.
As for the ethical issues involved in the problem of a certain dialysis center, the situation calls for adherence to the set policy rules of the company, concurrently, to the ethical standards of human services professionals as is quoted from the National Organization for Human Services (2007): Human service professionals provide services without discrimination or preference based on age, ethnicity, culture, race, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.
As a health care provider, the company must admit patients without discrimination based on different aspects. This may be suitable for health centers which are not yet in the brink of bankruptcy or closure. If the center is at a high risk of shutting down in the near future because it lacks budget and the expenses are exaggeratingly greater than the income, then non-admittance of patients who are not financially capable may be justifiable for the economic survival of the business.
As a health care provider of a hemodialysis center which advocates for the patients’ needs, the best thing to do is to cut down the patients’ 3 times a week visits to once or twice a week, depending on how much they can pay. Firstly, the company must check the benefits of the insurance to cover the expenses that may be incurred, and allocate these benefits to the whole health program.
The company may also offer the patients financial help through different government agencies so they can still continue with their hemodialysis. Transportation to and from other government dialysis centers may also be offered for a discounted cost or, if the company can handle it, it can be offered for free to those who are in dire need of treatment in order to sustain life even longer. A health care organization may contradict its code of ethics if the economic status and the future of the company are put at a high risk.
The company may choose to impose policies that may be unacceptable to the clients but are just and reasonable for the welfare of the company. It is also reasonable for a health care professional to refuse the admittance of a certain patient having an infectious disease that will later cause severe damage to other patients’ condition, let alone cause loss of lives. In this case, the company may offer help by means of referring the client to other health care organizations specializing in that kind of disease.