Reference no: EM132257178
You are the administrator in charge of the operating room (OR) at Uptown Community Hospital. In order to maintain proper efficiency, surgeons have been given block time in which to do their surgery. Block time is the allocation of certain periods of time where the OR is available either to a surgeon or a group of surgeons who practice together. Block time allows surgeons and their office staff to efficiently post surgical cases in a regular manner. If a surgeon’s office staff knows he is scheduled to be in the OR on Tuesday mornings, then they can post cases on that day. The rules for block time clearly state that if the time is not filled five days prior to surgery, then that allocation of time is released so another surgeon can use it. Recently, the RN in charge of postings in the OR has noticed Dr. Neuer’s block time utilization has greatly decreased. However, when she checked the schedule, he appeared to be filling the time with nonexistent patients. This practice is known as “ghost posting.” On the actual day of surgery, the fictitious patients were not showing up or were canceled. Many of the surgeons have pointed out that the room is often empty. Yet, they have had to do their surgeries at other institutions because OR time was not available for them to post their cases. The RN knows that an empty OR room is a nonproductive one. She has brought Dr. Neuer’s practice to your attention. Upon further investigation, you discover Dr. Neuer has used this technique to protect his block time. However, the OR rules are not clear on what constitutes adequate patient information to post a surgical case. You are responsible for the bottom line of the OR and as long as this practice continues, the hospital will lose money. What should you do?
Discussion Questions
1. What are the main facts of this case?
2. Which theory or theories do you believe best explain Dr. Neuer’s behavior?
3. What are three potential obstacles to changing Dr. Neuer’s behavior? Should action(s) be taken against Dr. Neuer?
4. What are some ways that block time can be allocated to ensure the OR is used as efficiently as possible? Who should be in charge of this process? How can the process prevent ghost posting?
5. What steps can you take to ensure against this practice in the future? Provide your reflections and personal opinions as well as your recommendations for what could have been done differently in this case.