Darr describes social responsibility in three different contexts. Describe some of the challenges as

Darr describes social responsibility in three different contexts. Describe some of the challenges associated with one of them.

The three contexts of social responsibility framed as contrasting services with financial performances (Darr, 2011). The first context is protecting and enhancing organization assets while maximizing community benefits. The second is the moral obligation to serve patients based upon their health care needs only. The third context entails the organization’s role in serving and protecting both the public and private resources (Darr, 2011).

The first context involves giving the proper amount of services, but also saving costs. This can be demonstrated by physicians being conservative in their treatment plans. For example, only ordering tests that are necessary, while avoiding other tests that may not be much of a benefit to the patient (Promislo, Giacalone, Welch, 2012). In a practice where the physicians are deeply involved, such as joint ownership they are going to be much more likely to be focused upon cutting costs over physicians who do not have any form of ownership.

Another aspect of this involve collecting fees from patients who owe them. In some aspects hospitals may involve aggressive forms of debt collection bordering on harassment. It can be touchy subject as the hospitals need services paid in order to meet their needs, while medical bills can be quite difficult for some patients to pay (Ahola-Launonen, 2015). Some facilities may avoid treating patients who may be unable to pay, thus ensuring they are likely to get all debts paid, but not being helpful to the community at large. The textbook gave a great example of this by discussing the financially sound hospital that was not doing anything to serve inner city patients who were not necessarily in their local area.

Resources:

Ahola-Launonen, J. (2015). The evolving idea of social responsibility in bioethics. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 24(2), 204-213. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy2.apus.edu/10.1017/S0963180114000516

Darr, K. (2011). Ethics in Health Services Management. Fifth Edition. Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press, Inc.

Promislo, M. D., Giacalone, R. A., & Welch, J. (2012). Consequences of concern: ethics, social responsibility, and well-being. Business Ethics: A European Review, 21(2), 209-219. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8608.2011.01648.x