The Tracks We Leave: Ethics and Management Dilemmas in Healthcare, Fourth Edition

The Tracks We Leave provides practical guidance for navigating the multifaceted ethical dilemmas that healthcare managers encounter. The book begins by discussing a healthcare manager’s ethical responsibilities and presenting the business case for ethics management. The ensuing cases and discussions reflect the typical challenges faced by healthcare executives, such as medical errors, physician impairment, coworker conflict, gender discrimination, staff shortages, and clinician burnout.

 

The book emphasizes the clear correlation between ethics and management, along with the need for managers to consider ethical implications when making management decisions. This revised edition features five new chapters that examine ethics surrounding topics such as:

 

Technology in support of remote patient care and remote work The responsibility of senior healthcare management to create an ethical culture The COVID-19 pandemic and preparation for the next crisis

 

The conclusion of the book provides closure to the cases by identifying the consequences of the management actions taken in each instance. It also contains an ethics self-assessment that identifies areas for improvement.

Frankie Perry, RN, LFACHE, has held senior positions in both nursing and hospital administration, including assistant medical center director of Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan; executive vice president of the American College of Healthcare Executives; and national and international healthcare consultant. She is currently on the faculty of the University of New Mexico and was a former member of the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education's board of directors. Perry has published numerous articles and two additional books on ethics and healthcare administration.

Chapter 1 - Understanding Your Ethical Responsibilities Chapter 2 - The Business Case for Ethics Management Chapter 3 - Medical Errors: Paradise Hills Medical Center Chapter 4 - Conflicting Moral Demands: QualPlus HMO Chapter 5 - Gender Discrimination: Rolling Meadows Community Hospital Chapter 6 - Physician Impairment: University Hospital Chapter 7 - Workforce Reduction: Hillside County Medical Center Chapter 8 - Nurse Shortage: Metropolitan Community Hospital Chapter 9 - Information Technology Setback: Heartland Healthcare System Chapter 10 - Failed Hospital Merger: Richland River Valley Healthcare System Chapter 11 - When Patient Demands and Hospital Policies Collide: Hurley Medical Center Chapter 12 - "Baby Charlie" and End of Life Decisions Chapter 13 - Ethics and Management Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina Chapter 14 - Information Technology: Lasting Impact of Recent Pandemic Response Activities on Healthcare Management and Delivery Chapter 15 - C-Suite: Ethical Compass or Not? Chapter 16 - Legal Perspective Chapter 17 - The Intersection of Governance, Management and Ethics Chapter 18 - Deciding Values Chapter 19 - The Ethics of Managing People Chapter 20 - Management, Diversity, and Inclusion Chapter 21 - Ethical Considerations and Challenges in Pandemics Chapter 22 - The Critical Role and Integration of Public Health Within the Healthcare Delivery System Chapter 23 - Increasing the Capacity for Innovation in Healthcare Management Chapter 24 - Ethics Issues in Managed Care Chapter 25 - Evaluating Healthcare Ethics Committees Chapter 26 - Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders Among Healthcare Professionals Chapter 27 - Ethics Issues in Graduate Medical Education Chapter 28 - Ethics Issues in Healthcare Emergency Management