However, this might turn competent healthcare professionals away, who were angry that they no longer could exercise discretion over their treatment, in conference with their patients. Patients might refuse to come to the hospital. And those that did would cause costs to escalate, as they stayed longer, received more extensive care, and thus exhausted their insurance benefits. A summary presentation of a comprehensive solution that would cover all of the issues

Firstly, the board of directors should be convened to establish a policy about what the religiously founded hospital considers to be a quality life and an ethical system of evaluating critical patients, when dispensing care. Doctors, nurses, and other involved personnel must be convened to discuss various issues that continually arise and a uniform policy must be established, so that such ethical decisions are not solely the burden of patients and healthcare providers in the field.

A press release should be issued to the media and to the community clarifying this policy, so the community, media, and prospective patients and insurance providers know why there was an escalated patient death rate -- it was not due to provider incompetence, but due to the patient's own decision-making, or the family's decision making in regards to the patient's health.

Next, the issue of costs must be addressed regarding insurance. Again, the hospital must determine how many different insurance policies, Medicaid and Medicare patients, and charity patients it can take on and still remain solvent. Of course,...

(NCHC, "Health Insurance Coverage," 2004) it is difficult for a hospital with a mission of faith to reject patients or ration care, even to the elderly or chronically ill. But as pointed out by the individual who briefed the consultant of the case study, it is still a profit organization in the sense that it must maintain a balanced budget. Today, "experts agree that our health care system is riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, inappropriate care, waste and fraud. These problems significantly increase the cost of medical care and health insurance for employers and workers," and the hospital is sinking beneath the burden of these costs. (NCHC, "Health Insurance Cost," 2004) compassionate policy of care that allows for a balance of patient autonomy is necessary, while the mission of preserving life that will not cause religious donors to be alienated must be struck, through a combination of delicate media relations and involving all management and in the field hospital staff and healthcare providers.
Works Cited

National Coalition on Health Care. (2004) "Health Insurance Cost." Retrieved 2 June 2005 at http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

National Coalition on Health Care. (2004) "Health Insurance Coverage." Retrieved 2 June 2005 at http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml