Many Healthcare Organizations Have Been Subject To Fines

Many Healthcare Organizations Have Been Subject To Fines And Criminal

Many healthcare organizations have been subject to fines and criminal investigation. Identify a healthcare organization that failed to act in accordance with its values, mission, and vision and as a result, incurred criminal/civil fines or monetary penalties. Describe how the healthcare organization's activities failed to reflect its written strategic intent. Finally, propose lawful actions the healthcare organization could have taken to fulfill its written values and achieve more appropriate outcomes. Use us reference: Walston, S. L. (2014). Strategic healthcare management: Planning and execution. Health Administration Press. Chapter 6. In two different paragraphs give your personal opinion to Reynalyn Aguayon and Tyler Blevins.

Healthcare organizations that neglect data security and compliance exemplify failures to uphold their mission and values. For example, the Texas hospital that was fined $3.2 million by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) illustrates how a lack of proper data security measures can severely breach patient confidentiality and violate HIPAA regulations. This breach was primarily due to inadequate device encryption and poor oversight of electronic protected health information (ePHI). Failure to implement strict security protocols, such as encryption, access controls, and audit logs, undermines the organization’s commitment to patient privacy and safety. The breach not only resulted in significant financial penalties but also eroded public trust—an essential pillar for any healthcare institution committed to ethical patient care. To align with its strategic values, the organization should have adopted comprehensive security policies, routinely trained staff on data privacy, and invested in technology upgrades to safeguard patient information securely. Through proactive governance and adherence to HIPAA regulations, the hospital could have prevented these violations, meeting both legal and ethical standards of care.

Similarly, organizational failures in long-term care facilities highlight how neglecting organizational values can lead to tragic outcomes and penalties. The case of an assisted living facility failing to prevent resident elopement, especially of a high-risk individual with a history of wandering, underscores the importance of implementing preventative policies aligned with the organization’s mission to treat residents like family. Insufficient staffing levels, inadequate monitoring procedures, and lack of targeted interventions contributed to the resident's escape, ultimately leading to license revocation and closure. Such failures betray the core value of safety and personalized care. To genuinely fulfill its mission, the facility needed to establish stringent risk assessments, conduct frequent checks for high-risk residents, and develop comprehensive elopement prevention policies. Ensuring proper staff training and deploying technology such as alarm systems or GPS tracking could have minimized risks. Legitimate compliance with safety standards, coupled with continuous staff education and risk management practices, would better reflect the organization’s fundamental commitment to resident dignity and safety.

Paper For Above instruction

Healthcare organizations face numerous challenges in maintaining compliance, safeguarding patient information, and executing their strategic missions. When these organizations fail to adhere to their core values and strategic goals, the consequences can be severe, including hefty fines, loss of license, and diminished public trust. A pertinent example is the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, which was fined $3.2 million by the OCR for HIPAA violations related to data breaches involving unencrypted devices. This incident underscores the critical necessity for healthcare entities to implement robust data security measures, such as encryption, regular audits, and strict access controls, to protect sensitive patient information. Failing to do so directly contradicts the fundamental ethical principle of patient confidentiality embedded in organizational missions and values and erodes trust amongst patients and the community (Walston, 2014). To fulfill its mission ethically and effectively, the hospital should have adopted comprehensive security policies, provided ongoing staff training on privacy protections, and invested in secure technology infrastructure. These proactive measures would demonstrate a genuine commitment to patient rights, adhere to legal standards, and foster a culture of accountability and trust.

Furthermore, failures in resident safety policies in long-term care settings can severely damage organizational credibility and violate their commitment to compassionate care. The case of the assisted living facility’s failure to prevent resident elopements exemplifies how insufficient staffing, inadequate supervision, and lack of specific policies for high-risk individuals undermine organizational missions to treat residents with dignity and safety. These lapses can be addressed by adopting structured protocols for frequent check-ins, implementing specialized training for staff on managing high-risk residents, and utilizing technology such as GPS trackers or alarm systems to prevent elopement incidents. Such approaches align with the organization’s strategic goal of providing safe, family-like environments for residents. Ensuring that policies are evidence-based, regularly reviewed, and strictly enforced demonstrates a hospital's or facility’s genuine commitment to safety, aligning operational practices with core values. Overall, proactive, lawful strategies rooted in comprehensive policy frameworks can help healthcare organizations uphold their mission, avoid penalties, and improve patient and resident outcomes.

References

• Walston, S. L. (2014). Strategic healthcare management: Planning and execution. Health Administration Press.
• Department of Health and Human Services. (2017). Office for Civil Rights HIPAA Enforcement. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/index.html
• HealthIT.gov. (2020). HIPAA Security Rule. https://www.healthit.gov/topic/privacy-security/health-it-security
• Senior Justice. (2020). Elopement prevention strategies in assisted living. https://www.seniorjustice.com/elopement-prevention
• Office of Inspector General. (2018). Civil monetary penalties related to HIPAA violations. https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/penalties/index.asp
• American Health Information Management Association. (2019). Best practices in data security for hospitals. https://www.ahima.org/knowledge-center
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2021). Long-term care safety standards. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/GuidanceforLTCFacilities
• Evans, W. (2019). Organizational ethics and legal compliance in healthcare. Journal of Healthcare Management, 64(2), 89-99.
• Johnson, R., & Smith, T. (2020). Risk management in healthcare organizations. Healthcare Risk Management, 38(4), 12-17.
• O’Connor, A. (2018). Implementing effective safety protocols in assisted living facilities. Journal of Elder Care, 45(3), 210-218.