Ethical Conflicts in Healthcare Administration

This essay explores the ethical conflicts commonly faced by healthcare administrators and provides insights on how to approach them. It discusses a specific moral dilemma related to providing healthcare services to uninsured patients and the financial implications for the hospital. The essay also examines the perspectives of various stakeholders, such as patients, doctors, financial departments, and management. Additionally, it delves into relevant ethical frameworks, including beneficence and justice, and presents different options for action. Overall, the essay aims to improve the approach to ethics in healthcare administration.

Running head: HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION 1
Introduction to Healthcare Administration
Name
Institution

HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION 2
Abstract
The medical field, it is filled with many moral dilemmas that affect the Institution, the society
and the staff. This brings about ethical conflicts in medicine. These are important ethical issues
which need to be addressed by healthcare administrators. Aristotle argued that human choices are
based on reason. Those choices are greatly influenced by emotions. What happens when one is
placed in a position where he has to make a choice either to do what is required according to the
regulations or to do what is right according to our moral beliefs? This creates a moral dilemma
which happens too often in the field of medicine. The four principles of medical ethics and the
ACHE code of ethics provide guidelines to the course of action to be taken when these issues
arise. This essay looks at one of the moral dilemmas which give rise to ethical conflicts
commonly faced by healthcare administrators. This essay takes an analytical view on how to
come to a conclusion that provides value to the parties involved. It takes a guided look on how
decisions with ethical implications are made as the decisions have an impact on the delivery of
quality medical care. It focuses on how we can improve our approach to ethics in medicine.

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Introduction to Healthcare Administration
Understanding the Ethical Conflict
During the monthly utilization review, it was that patients are suffering from renal
distress and failure and the patients lack the insurance cover to cover their health costs. The
hospital also lacks a specialist in this field. The hospital is unable to provide services to the
patients due to their inability to pay their health bills and lack of a specialist. The hospital
management has to make a decision on offering the services for free, but this will mean financial
losses to the hospital. Several member of the board would argue that with that move, the
sustainability of the hospital would be negatively affected (Gillon, 2015). The decision to hinder
access of treatment to patients not insured maybe beneficial to the hospital but the patients will
be left at the mercy of fate. This raises an ethical concern as one of the principal ethics of
medicine is beneficence, the act in the benefits of others. The value of human life takes a bigger
weight as compared to other risks and costs.
Stakeholders Involved and Their Responsibilities
This ethical issue in order to reach an appropriate conclusion, all stakeholders must be
brought on board. I believe the views of the involved groups are important even if they may not
provide the solution. The ethical issues raise concerns on various issues including financial
issues. The patients, doctors, financial departments and the management should be involved.
Unfortunately, there is no specific solution to this dilemma but by weighing the risks involved
we are able to come up with a course of action.
The financial department should analyze and look at the losses the hospital will suffer if
they offer renal disease treatment to the patients for free. They should be able to determine the
severity of the losses. Severe losses may result to the hospital closing down. This has a big

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negative consequence as the nearest compressive hospital is several distance away. The patients
should be allowed to view the situation from the managements view. They will be able to grasp
the depth of the situation. From the view point of the management they are able to understand the
hospital may not be able to offer the required treatment even if they have a social responsibility
to them.
The economic issues of access to insurance have an effect on the moral dilemma. The
high cost of healthcare has prevented many from getting the required treatment. The society and
the patients cannot cater for their medical bills individually (Harman & Gallagher, 2016). Access
to private insurance is costly and we may need to turn to public financing for medical cover.
Relevant Ethical Perspectives
Looking at the frameworks of moral ethics, virtue ethics, beneficence and justice we are
able to look at a certain course of action which will bring a solution satisfactory to all parties
involved. In healthcare, interests of the patients are the main focus. This is because healthcare is
patient-based, Followed by the needs of the staff (Dunn & Hope, 2018). The needs of the
administration come last. The principle of justice provides that medical care should be
distributed justly among the society. This prevents discrimination against individuals who are
poor and may not be able to afford healthcare.
Our moral and virtue ethics push us to do what is right in our conscience. As I had
indicated earlier, Aristotle said that our choices are greatly influenced by our emotions. The
relationship between the society and the hospital is of great importance (Dunn & Hope, 2018).
The values of the hospital to uphold human life above all else is a key factor in determining the
solution to this dilemma.

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Options for Action
The hospital administration in conjunction with other stakeholders must come up with
different options for actions. It should be noted that the options will not produce a 100 percent
solution to the ethical conflict (Dunn & Hope, 2018). Rhodes argues that it is important to
identify the factors leading to the moral dilemma and to clearly state the reasons for prioritizing
one concerning factor over the other. All facts should be put on the table to ensure the
administration makes an informed decision. The effects of balancing between the available
options;
As one of the main principles of medical ethics is beneficence, the hospital
administration can decide to provide treatment services to patients suffering from end-stage renal
disease. The hospital can also be able to get a specialist who will be able to attend the patients in
site (Zulueta, 2015). This however means financial losses for the hospital as the patients are not
covered under an insurance cover. Severe financial losses may lead to closure of the hospital.
This has a negative effect to the society as the hospital offer emergency services to a large rural
catchment. This option although benefits the patients of end-stage renal disease, the end result in
the long run will affect the society as a whole negatively.
Healthcare insurance policies are allocated to on the criteria of willingness to pay. Most
people in rural areas are usually low income earners and are unable to afford insurance policies.
Public financing, by providing subsidies, ensures that all members of the community can be able
to access insurance services (Dunn & Hope, 2018). This can be achieved through a single-payer
system. The ethical force of this concept of efficiency within a consequentialist line of reasoning
is to provide benefit to the group of patients without decreasing benefit to anyone else. The
economic reasoning to ethical conflicts in financing of healthcare has helped address the issue of

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access to healthcare services. This is option, looking at the facts provides the most value to all
parties affected. Access to insurance cover by the patients enables them to get the necessary
treatment they need and it also minimizes the financial losses to the hospital.
When ethical conflicts arise it is important for the hospital to have a structured guideline
to address ethical conflicts. It will be easier to address the recurring ethical issues. This will
ensure quality of care to the patients and the society. Using a structured decision making system
in an organization can help uphold ethical standards and ensure the conflicts are addressed
properly.

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References
Gillon, R. (2015). Defending the four principles approach as a good basis for good medical
practice and therefore for good medical ethics. Journal of medical ethics, vol. 1, no. 1,
pp. 111-116
Harman, AC. & Gallagher, M. (2016). Medical ethics Beyond the Four Principles: A Case-Based
Review. Topics in Obstetrics and Gynecology 36(7), 1-6
Dunn, M. & Hope, T. (2018). Medical ethics: a very short introduction. Oxford university press
Zulueta, P. (2015). Suffering, compassion and ‘doing good medical ethics’. Journal of medical
ethics.41 (1), 87-90,