The Ethical Conundrum of Healthcare Ethics Committees – Ethics committees have been a condition of Joint Commission accreditation since 1992, yet there is massive variation in their implementation and use. They should not replace the dialogues of interprofessional team members with patients, families, or each other.
Author Archives: Ellen Fink-Samnick DBH, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, CCM, CCTP, CRP, FCM
To Post or Not to Post?
The discharge planning process always moved quickly, but today it’s on steroids! Case managers face intense pressure to quickly transition patients to that next level of care, or home. Whether you case manage for a hospital, an MCO, or a community-based agency, you need information when you need it! That means you need a space to ask questions that provide responses “in the moment” and that is often not the workplace! Social media has become the fastest way for case managers and other healthcare professionals to quickly get information on what resource to use, and when!
More and more new case managers are entering the workforce than ever before, and their onboarding happens at warp speed. They commonly ping “friends” or tag “connections for discharge planning and other resources, from treatment and provider recommendations to specific home health agencies and skilled nursing homes. Complex patient circumstances become an opportunity for colleagues to weigh in on the management of everything from addiction and family dynamics to those “tough to place” patients, prescription drug access, and other psychosocial circumstances. After all, there’s no harm in asking for this information, right? WRONG!
Seeking Social Media Recommendations: The Ethical Quandary for Case Management
Case managers and other healthcare professional who are Seeking Social Media Recommendations, become an Ethical Quandary for Case Management as they commonly ping “friends” or tag “connections” for resource info from treatment and provider recommendations to specific home health agencies and skilled nursing homes. Complex patient circumstances become group chats. After all, there’s no harm in seeking consultation or recommendations, right? Read how unintentional posts become ethical and legal missteps, and how to best manage them.