July 2010
1 post
WatchWhat is a corporate board’s role in ensuring an ethical culture?
This video has some good answers.
(via) National Association of Corporate Directors, Silicon Valley Chapter, Inc.
June 2010
4 posts
WatchThe “Phoenix Situation” has made it to NBC’s TODAY.
May 2010
8 posts
Can doctors be compelled to provide futile care? →
Another fascinating article today - raising a number of questions:
How long does it take to make a PVS diagnosis?
Trinitas Regional Medical Center is a Catholic teaching hospital - would this case have been handled differently if it occurred after November 2009?
This article highlights the tension between physicians, medical decision makers (i.e., family) and futile care.
Let’s stay...
Nun at St. Joseph's Hospital rebuked over abortion... →
Mission Leaders: This is an incredible story that occurred at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ - a member of Catholic Healthcare West.
Working With Faith
Last night, I got to present a talk at Theology on Tap for the Muskegon Deanery in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
I began by referencing The Clown of God by Tomie dePaola. No matter how insignificant your work may seem, it can give glory to God.
I then referenced Laborem Exercens by sharing the three-fold spirituality of work offered by John Paul II.
Through work, you can participate in the...
Cerberus-Caritas deal includes Catholic escape... →
“Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don’t want to run out of gas on...”
– Tim O’Reilly interviewed at INC.com
His life is a vivid demonstration that interesting things can happen when you are working for more than money.
Talk about mission integration!
/via Daring Fireball: ‘Interesting Work for Interesting People’
Running a hospital: I was wrong. I am sorry. →
Robert Quinn would call this “Embracing the Hypocritical Self.”
Read more of the story.
Can profitability and religious mission be... →
Yes.
But what do we mean by profit?
Usually, we think of profit as money going into the pockets of CEOs and stockholders. Hospitals with a religious mission must be profitable too! The difference here is that the money that would otherwise go straight into the pockets of a few people goes into community benefit programs that support the stakeholders of the hospital - the members of the...
April 2010
11 posts
“When illness strikes, family is whoever shows up – and stays.”
– Bioethics Forum - President Obama’s Groundbreaking Order on Hospital Visitation and Decision-making
The Hastings Center blog addresses the Obama memo re: hospital visitation and considers a few areas I didn’t think of:
Joint Commission Standards - RI.01.01.01, elements Y & Z
HIPAA
...
I’ve made it back home from the 2010 HCCA Compliance Institute. My eyes have been opened to the world of health care compliance.
This prayer seems particularly appropriate:
Also, “the grassy knoll” and Dealey Plaza were in view from my hotel window. I got to visit the Sixth Floor Museum - hence the above photo from the JFK Library.
Presidential Memorandum - Hospital Visitation →
President Obama issued this memorandum yesterday to the Secretary of Health and Human Services directing the HHS to ensure that hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.
In my experience of Catholic healthcare, this has not been much of a concern. We call out core values of respect and compassion. Respecting the wishes of our patients...
Catholic journal says Plan B does not cause... →
The NCR follows up on this Health Progress article.
St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan to Close -... →
After 160 years of service, the last Catholic hospital in New York City will close.
4/9/10 - Additional analysis from HealthLeaders Media
The Priesthood of the Faithful
This article reminded me of this Church document that has important implications for all those leading a ministry of the Church.
In [the Lord Jesus] all the faithful are made a holy and royal priesthood … Therefore, there is no member who does not have a part in the mission of the whole Body
I need to remember (and share) this whenever I do formation work!
“I am suggesting that we move beyond a narrow self focus in all that we do. We...”
– John Halamka’s quote on his blog today: Life as a Healthcare CIO: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number
Catholic Social Teaching takes this a step further with the Principle of the Common Good. That is, not just worrying about the greatest number, but worrying about everyone.
This said -...
March 2010
12 posts
Catholic hospitals make Thomson Reuters top 100... →
Represent.
Running a hospital: A chance to invest in quality... →
Caritas Christi, a Catholic healthcare system in Boston, MA is being purchased by for-profit equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management.
Lots of implications to consider…
More details at The Boston Globe.
Some Will Remain Uninsured After Reform
→
There will always be poor & vulnerable people in our community.
(via) Kaiser Health News
“I’m disappointed at the overcommercialization, but I think this applies to...”
– - Dr. Howard W. Jones, Jr., an IVF pioneer, re: commercial competition within reproductive medicine
At age 99, it is interesting to hear him reflect on his life’s work.
Pioneer Reflects on Future of Reproductive Medicine - Biography - NYTimes.com
“As a practical matter, there was little to distinguish the way in which Provena...”
– - Justice Lloyd Karmeier as quoted in this Stateline.org article: Non-profit Ill. hospital must pay property tax
I’m hoping the new IRS 990-H will help us avoid these events in the future.
Catholic Identity in Health Care and Higher... →
At one time certain distinguishing characteristics of motivation and manner could be assumed as part of the culture of a Catholic school or hospital. That is no longer the case.
Lucien Roy, via The Reid Group Blog
Bishop says Oregon hospital can no longer be... →
That explains this.
Check out the history of the organization (via wikipedia).
February 2010
8 posts
Catholic Directive May Thwart End-Of-Life Wishes -... →
News articles like this (could I call them alarmist?) have been trickling out since the revisions of Part Five of the ERDs was approved by the USCCB last November.
I appreciate this quote, but, unfortunately, it is not the article’s last word…
Dr. Porter Storey, a palliative care specialist for Kaiser Permanente who sees patients at Good Samaritan, said many Kaiser members and...
WatchStephen Green: Bankers Need A Moral Compass - On Board Responsibility
“There’s a real responsibility on the part of boards… to ensure that there is a culture within the organization that permeates the organization that is constantly refreshed and nurtured which emphasizes the importance of doing the right thing.”
“All-powerful and ever-living God,
the lasting health of all who believe in you,...”
– Roman Missal
(via) Liturgy Office of England & Wales
Catholic Health Care Ministry = 26% of the world's... →
“Helping the poor is indeed the mission and the cause célèbre. Therein lies the...”
– Kenneth E. Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospitals Association as quoted in: Critical Care: The Fall of St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan - NYTimes.com
This was a difficult article to read. But, I kind of knew it was coming.
January 2010
4 posts
Project Haiti donations from community continue to... →
Our sister hospital in Boise has been supporting a children’s hospital near Port-au-Prince for years through Project Haiti.
(via) Idaho Press-Tribune
What makes a Catholic institution, Catholic? →
From Bishop Robert Vasa (Diocese of Baker, OR):
…an institution is identified as Catholic precisely because the bishop has given his consent for the use of that title. This giving of consent, however, is not only a one-time event. It is rather the establishment of an ongoing consensual relationship and persists only as long as the bishop continues to give his consent.
(via) Catholic...
December 2009
9 posts
When Does Death Start? →
An article in last Sunday’s NYTimes Magazine offers a good discussion of organ donation after cardiac death (D.C.D.).
