Part One - The Social Responsibility of Catholic Health Care Services
CASE STUDY
CASE #2: DECLINING TO SEE MEDICAID PATIENTS
The OB-GYN group with which your Catholic hospital has contracted for years has recently decided to stop seeing most Medicaid patients because several members of the group have been complaining about the low levels of reimbursement and the "type of clientele." The group insists it has the right to do this, but several case managers are concerned that these women will "fall through the cracks" and that it "looks bad on our hospital," especially since the for-profit competitor already sees the majority of Medicaid patients in the area. Senior leadership discusses the situation and most think they must allow this or else they could lose the OB-GYN group. However, others see this as unacceptable because it runs counter to the hospital's mission. (Courtesy of Dr. Michael Panicola, SSM Health Care, St. Louis, Mo.).
CASE QUESTIONS
1. What ethical issues do you see here?
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- Failure to provide vulnerable patients with needed care.
- Failure to fulfill the organization's mission and allowing a group of physicians to act contrary to the organization's mission.
- Discrimination leading to disparity in care
- Justice
2. Which Directive(s) apply to the case?
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- Directives 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9. The Introduction is also important. It highlights values that should characterize Catholic health care — respect for human dignity, care for the poor, contributing to the common good, and good stewardship of resources.
3. How might the Directive(s) help address?
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- These Directives underscore that one of Catholic health care's fundamental commitments and characteristics is care for the poor and vulnerable.
- Care for the marginalized is central to the organization's identity and integrity.