RESUMEN
Values are an issue that everyone talks about yet they are hard to grasp tangibly. Their importance is illustrated by the good they do within an organization: increased staff retention, enhanced marketing, and--most important--improved patient satisfaction. This article provides a hands-on approach to defining and implementing an organization values-in-action program.
Asunto(s)
Servicios de Atención de Salud a Domicilio/normas , Cultura Organizacional , Filosofía , Valores Sociales , Hospitales Religiosos/normas , Objetivos Organizacionales , PennsylvaniaRESUMEN
The U.S. healthcare delivery system is a patchwork nonsystem full of inequities, whose symptoms include the prolongation of the dying process, a lack of preventive care, and patient dumping. What can be done to make this nation's healthcare delivery system more just? The U.S. healthcare system should be modeled on the same underlying assumptions and justice-related values as the U.S. education system, a system based on need. Americans would find such a model psychologically acceptable because they are familiar with it, even though it is not perfect. Because they have the facilities and resources at their disposal, care givers must experience solidarity with all those who need care. The unity and solidarity of all creation is an explicitly Christian theme and is an appropriate value to emphasize with regard to compassionate healthcare. To establish a fairer healthcare delivery system, providers must consider their own Christian responsibilities and those of the Church, as well as the civic responsibilities of the government. If Catholic healthcare professionals do their part to change the status quo, Americans will be able to enjoy a fair system of healthcare delivery based on need, not on ability to pay.
Asunto(s)
Catolicismo , Atención a la Salud/normas , Hospitales Religiosos/normas , Justicia Social , Empatía , Gobierno Federal , Asignación de Recursos para la Atención de Salud , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud/economía , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud/normas , Cuidados para Prolongación de la Vida , Sistemas Multiinstitucionales/normas , Transferencia de Pacientes , Asignación de Recursos , Responsabilidad Social , Valores Sociales , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Catholic healthcare providers today can live out their vision and values only if they become public policy advocates. They must learn how to shape effective public policy to help heal the ailing U.S. healthcare system. Although from a political perspective they might feel ill-equipped to advocate in the public policy arena, Catholic healthcare providers are richly endowed from the perspective of their tradition of social teaching. They must uphold the common good as a primary criterion in healthcare reform. Two important issues provide an extraordinary opportunity and challenge for Catholic healthcare leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the common good: euthanasia and healthcare reform.