MHA - Master of Healthcare Administration Professionalism and Ethics Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A hospital administrator must develop a policy for allocating a single available ICU bed during a public health crisis. The primary candidates are a young patient with a high probability of full recovery and an elderly patient who is a significant financial donor to the hospital. Basing the allocation policy on criteria such as medical need and likelihood of benefit, while excluding social worth, reflects which core ethical principle?
- Autonomy
- Beneficence
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Non-maleficence
Correct answer: Justice
The principle of justice in healthcare ethics pertains to the fair and equitable distribution of resources and benefits. Creating a policy based on objective medical criteria rather than social status or financial contribution ensures that scarce resources are allocated fairly, which is the essence of distributive justice.
Question 2: According to the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Code of Ethics, which of the following is a healthcare executive's primary responsibility to the profession?
- Upholding the standards and ethics of healthcare management and promoting the development of others in the field. (Correct answer)
- Ensuring the long-term fiscal viability and sustainability of their specific healthcare organization.
- Providing a safe and respectful work environment for all employees within the organization.
- Working to identify and meet the healthcare needs of the broader community and support access to care for all.
Correct answer: Upholding the standards and ethics of healthcare management and promoting the development of others in the field.
The ACHE Code of Ethics explicitly outlines responsibilities to the profession, which include honoring the code, conducting professional activities with honesty and integrity, and mentoring colleagues, thereby advancing the standards and practices of healthcare management as a whole.
Question 3: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of a hospital system has a significant personal investment in a medical supply company. The hospital's purchasing department is about to sign a major contract with this same company. What is the most appropriate initial action for the COO to take to demonstrate ethical professionalism?
- Recommend the purchase to the CEO, citing their inside knowledge of the company's quality.
- Fully disclose the financial interest to the board and recuse themselves from any involvement in the decision-making process. (Correct answer)
- Sell their investment in the supply company immediately before the contract is signed.
- Anonymously encourage the purchasing department to select the company to avoid direct influence.
Correct answer: Fully disclose the financial interest to the board and recuse themselves from any involvement in the decision-making process.
The foundational step in managing a conflict of interest is transparency and removal of influence. The COO must fully disclose the potential conflict to the organization's leadership and withdraw entirely from the deliberation and decision-making process to ensure the hospital's best interests are prioritized.
Question 4: A healthcare administrator is leading a comprehensive review of the organization's ethics and compliance program. According to guidance from the Office of Inspector General (OIG), which of the following is a fundamental element of an effective compliance program?
- Ensuring the compliance officer reports exclusively to the general counsel to streamline legal oversight.
- Establishing a disciplinary system that is applied only to clinical and front-line staff.
- Outsourcing all auditing and monitoring functions to a third-party firm to guarantee objectivity.
- Implementing a system for conducting routine auditing and monitoring of compliance risks and responding to detected offenses. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Implementing a system for conducting routine auditing and monitoring of compliance risks and responding to detected offenses.
The OIG lists seven fundamental elements for an effective compliance program. A key element is conducting internal monitoring and auditing to assess compliance risks and ensure adherence to policies. It also requires having a system to respond promptly to detected problems and undertake corrective action.
Question 5: The CEO of a non-profit hospital is presented with an offer to sell an underutilized hospital-owned property to a luxury retail developer for a price well above market value. The proceeds would greatly improve the hospital's financial position. However, the community has a documented shortage of affordable housing for seniors. The CEO's fiduciary duty requires them to:
- Evaluate all options based on what best serves the hospital's long-term mission and financial stability. (Correct answer)
- Accept the developer's high offer to maximize the organization's financial return and assets.
- Refuse the sale and donate the land for senior housing, regardless of the financial impact on the hospital.
- Table the decision indefinitely to avoid conflict between financial goals and community needs.
Correct answer: Evaluate all options based on what best serves the hospital's long-term mission and financial stability.
Fiduciary duty for a non-profit executive is to the organization's mission and its long-term health, not solely to maximizing profit. This requires a balanced evaluation of how a major decision aligns with both the charitable mission (which includes community health) and the need for financial sustainability.
Question 6: A healthcare administrator is developing new protocols for the hospital's patient advocacy program. Which of the following initiatives best exemplifies the ethical principle of beneficence?
- Creating a clear process for patients to provide informed consent for all procedures.
- Ensuring patient demographic data is never used to discriminate in the provision of care.
- Implementing a proactive program to identify and assist patients with navigating complex care plans to improve their health outcomes. (Correct answer)
- Establishing a policy that allows competent patients to refuse any recommended medical treatment.
Correct answer: Implementing a proactive program to identify and assist patients with navigating complex care plans to improve their health outcomes.
Beneficence is the ethical principle of acting for the benefit of others or 'doing good.' A program designed to proactively help patients manage their care and achieve better health outcomes is a direct application of this principle. The other options relate to autonomy (A, D) and justice (B).
MHA - Master of Healthcare Administration Professionalism and Ethics Questions and Answers
A hospital administrator must develop a policy for allocating a single available ICU bed during a public health crisis.
The primary candidates are a young patient with a high probability of full recovery and an elderly patient who is a significant financial donor to the hospital.
Basing the allocation policy on criteria such as medical need and likelihood of benefit, while excluding social worth, reflects which core ethical principle?