Reference no: EM132229818
On Thursday night Dr. Jones was at home watching television and spending time with his family. The phone rang. The South Shore General Hospital ER physician asked him to see an urgent patient. Dr. Jones replied that he was not on call for the emergency room at South Shore General Hospital, and furthermore, the hospital was paying members of a competing group to cover the emergency room. The emergency room doctor said that he was aware of the arrangement with the competing group. However, the ER could not reach the on-call physician and had tried for some time.
Dr. Jones, who earlier had a glass of wine with dinner, responded, “You’ll have to keep trying. I’m not coming in.”
The next day Dr. Jones called the Chief of Staff and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of South Shore General Hospital and informed them that neither he nor any members of his group would cover the ER unless they were compensated in a similar manner to the competing group and had an appropriate contractor arrangement with the hospital. Dr. Jones asked the Chief of Staff and CMO if they worked for free. Dead silence. “While you’re thinking about that question, let me say this to both of you. Doctors are working harder and longer hours and earning less money every year. Why should we give up our free time and work for nothing when you’re willing to pay the other group?”
Discussion Questions
1. What are the facts in this situation?
2. What are three organizational issues this case illustrates?
3. Was Dr. Jones obligated to go to the emergency room at South Shore General Hospital?
4. Is there an ethical dilemma in a doctor choosing not to go in to see a patient? What about the physicians who were on call? Do you think they violated any ethical principles? Or do you think this was just a matter of miscommunication? Provide a rationale for your responses.
5. If he had gone in and there had been an adverse patient outcome, how do you think the fact that he had consumed an alcoholic beverage that evening would play in a courtroom?
6. How should the ER physician have handled this matter? What is the best way to ensure emergency room coverage?
7. What steps should the administration of South Shore General Hospital take in the future to prevent this problem from occurring again? Provide your reflections and personal opinions as well as your recommendations and rationale for your responses.