Running head: HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT- ETHICAL DILEMNAS 1

Healthcare Management- Ethical Dilemmas

Name
Institution of Affiliation
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1. Does anyone get hurt by such arrangements? It is hard to believe that the increased cost

to insurers is medically justified.

When doctors are incentivized to make decisions based on receiving a profit for

themselves their patients can get hurt by these arrangements. In this case study, sick persons may

be overspending their money which should not be the case when carrying the medical imagining

that they may not need. The patients are negatively affected because they are unaware that their

doctor may have other motives other than providing them with the best care. Naturally it very

painful to the human race when one realizes that someone was taking interest in them due to a

lack of knowledge and trying to make a profit from it. Patients are the most because the Doctors

are supposed to be protecting their interests, (Truog, 2012) but in this case, it is like a sold-out

situation. The case study even referenced that the large majority of research carried out shows

that utilization of services increases when doctors have financial incentives to provide imaging

services. Meaning the Doctors are taking interest in the situation to ensure there is a personal

benefit at the expense of patient cost. Patient are made to remit increased interests to insurance

companies as a result of being overcharged for medical services by dubious traders like

Westwood Imaging center. Additionally, patients may get substandard services from service

lenders like Westwood Imaging Centre, because as for them they are concerned with numbers of

patients visiting them who add up to profits.

What do you think about Westwood’s proposal to provide physicians with “leased”

diagnostic equipment?

My thought on Westwood’s idea is that he is going above and beyond to use a legal

loophole for individual gain. Even though it’s a smart decision on Westwood’s part in regards to

making the doctors sublease the equipment regardless of the number of referrals sent over, it is a
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naïve act. Westwood imaging Centre proposal is unethical because is using their financial

capability to persuade the physicians to honor back by referring patients for imaging

(Muthalagappan et al 2013). Though from a consumer standpoint it just seems dishonest. I would

not be comfortable knowing this as a patient who was referred to Westwood for imaging.

Additionally from a business mind view, it is a good proposal by Westwood imaging Centre to

lease out the equipment for diagnosis, which is relatively cheaper, considering their higher cost

that is more than 100 billion US dollars. The physicians cannot afford imaging equipment on

their own because of the cost. This proposal also is an evidence of an underperforming health

system that allows parties to engage in local deals in the expense of critically services like health.

Does this case present an ethical issue? If so, to which party (or parties)

Yes, it does present an ethical issue in referring to the Doctors. Doctors are trained to

give service and put patients’ needs a priority. In this case study, the Doctors are in a dilemma as

they are put a task in choosing between either to offer better services for their patients or

generate income for individual use, (In Dearie, In Meth, & In Westbrooks, 2018). Moreover, an

ethical issue may arise if Westwood Imaging Centre is the only imaging service provider getting

referrals from the Doctors. This would create a monopoly. Unfavorable competition against other

service providers on the same. Also, the evidence that Westwood Imaging Centre is paying to get

a patient referral is unjustified and unethical and this threatens the basic principles of medical

care of access to right and reliable services (Gapenski, & Pink, 2014). Besides, the incident in

which Westwood imaging is paying to get patient referrals outlines an act of financial and non-

related incentives.

If you could act as the ultimate authority in this situation, what would you do?
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Given the power to rule on this case, under my jurisdiction I would advise the physicians

together with their employers to make it open to the public the kind of relationship or accord

they have with the Westwood Imaging Centers. To my knowledge this doing would take the

stress off of the doctors because at least then their patients will have relevant information and

that may guide them when making choices (Adhikari et al., 2016). This could also boost patient

confidence in their doctor’s decision regarding taking medical images. Additionally, I would

give a go-ahead to Westwood imaging center to be providing “leased” equipment to the Doctors,

considering Westwood is leasing them relatively at a cheaper cost considering the higher cost of

buying this equipment by the physicians. Though this decision will be guided by the fact that

Westwood Imaging Center and Doctors will make open to the public the terms of engagement on

which they work.

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References

Adhikari, S., Paudel, K., Aro, A. R., Adhikari, T. B., Adhikari, B., & Mishra, S. R. (2016).

Knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare ethics among resident doctors and ward

nurses from a resource poor setting, Nepal. BMC Medical Ethics, 17(1).

Gapenski, L. C., & Pink, G. H. (2014). Cases in healthcare finance.

In Dearie, T. N., In Meth, M., & In Westbrooks, E. L. (2018). Academic library management:

Case studies.

Muthalagappan, S., Johansson, L., Kong, W. M., & Brown, E. A. (2013). Dialysis or

conservative care for frail older patients: ethics of shared decision-making. Nephrology

Dialysis Transplantation, 28(11), 2717-2722.

Truog, R. D. (2012). Patients and Doctors — The Evolution of a Relationship. New England

Journal of Medicine, 366(7), 581-585.