Legal Dilemma|Essay helper

Posted: February 16th, 2023

Legal Dilemma

You are the hospital administrator for a county hospital, which is funded in a large part by that county’s property taxes. You discover that you have an indigent patient who has been mistakenly admitted as an inpatient to the hospital strictly for dialysis treatment. The hospital does not, as a general practice, provide only dialysis treatment for patients. This is beyond the scope of the hospital’s mandate and is therefore, an inappropriate use of local property tax funding.

If the indigent patient is discharged from the hospital and dialysis treatment is terminated, the patient will become toxic and experience severe physical consequences, even death. However, if the patient is kept in the hospital for purposes of dialysis treatment only, the hospital must assume the burden of the patient’s debt, without revenue to cover the associated cost.

Based on your understanding of the above scenario, create a report in a Microsoft Word document that includes an analysis using the classic decision model to keep the patient in the hospital or discharge them.

Include: 

• An introduction 
• Definition of the problem. 
• Identification of the stakeholders. 
• Identification of alternative solutions. 
• Evaluation of alternative solutions. 
• Solution chosen and how to implement it with the stakeholders. 
• Conclusion and reflection of this process.

SOLUTION

Introduction
As a hospital administrator, I have encountered a legal dilemma where an indigent patient has been mistakenly admitted to the hospital for dialysis treatment, which is not a service provided by the hospital. This situation requires an analysis using the classic decision model to determine the best course of action to take.

Definition of the problem
The problem is that the hospital is funded by local property taxes, and providing only dialysis treatment to an indigent patient is beyond the hospital’s mandate, making it an inappropriate use of local property tax funding. Discharging the patient from the hospital will result in severe physical consequences or even death since the patient will become toxic due to the termination of dialysis treatment.

Identification of stakeholders
The stakeholders in this situation include the hospital administration, medical staff, the indigent patient, the county government, and the taxpayers who fund the hospital.

Identification of alternative solutions
There are two alternative solutions to the problem. One option is to keep the patient in the hospital for dialysis treatment, assuming the burden of the patient’s debt without revenue to cover the associated cost. The second option is to discharge the patient from the hospital, leading to severe physical consequences or even death.

Evaluation of alternative solutions
Keeping the patient in the hospital for dialysis treatment only will violate the hospital’s mandate and put an undue burden on the hospital’s finances. It will also set a precedent for other patients who may require a service outside the hospital’s mandate.

Discharging the patient from the hospital will result in severe physical consequences or even death, violating the hospital’s duty to provide medical care to patients.

Solution chosen and how to implement it with stakeholders
The best solution to this problem is to keep the patient in the hospital for dialysis treatment while working to find a long-term solution. This approach ensures that the patient receives the medical care they need without violating the hospital’s mandate. However, it also means that the hospital will assume the burden of the patient’s debt, which is not sustainable in the long term.

To implement this sol