1.You have worked a long, busy day as a health care administrator at the headquarters of Patients-R-Us, Inc., an integrated health system based in Fairfax, Virginia. Fifteen minutes before you plan to leave for home, you receive an urgent text from the office manager at a Patients-R-Us site in Leesburg, VA. She just has received a “visit” from federal agents who flash their badges and demand to see “someone in charge” who will “give them access to all office computers and hard copy files.” The chief agent produces a Subpoena Duces Tecum (from the Eastern District of Virginia federal court) for your office’s written and electronic documents. This law enforcement official says, very assertively, “We know what we’re here to gather. My team and I will wait as long as necessary.”
You and your office manager colleague in VA agree that your days just got extended! This is the first federal “drive-by” visit that you have confronted in your career. What legal and policy concerns should you and other Patients-R-Us employees address? Apply risk management concepts: what should Patients-R-Us do – and not do in this situation? Be specific in providing guidance to Patients-R-Us executives and the manager
2.Physicians in a multi-specialty clinic in New Orleans, LA desperately attempt to treat waves of patients who have the COVID-19 virus. State and local shutdowns of businesses and social distancing helped reduce the rate of increase, but new cases still occur. Over 100 potential treatments and vaccines have emerged, but health experts question which one will work. One day, the clinic’s board meets virtually to discuss its medical – and economic – future. The numbers look bleak.
But then a new board member who is an executive with a major pharmaceutical manufacturer offers a ray of hope. He states that the manufacturer has leveraged artificial intelligence to pinpoint research that has significant promise for a viable solution. AI-powered tools sift through massive amounts of data to identify the best studies. Could the resource aid the clinic’s patients? Perhaps. Our board member expresses optimism that tests so far have offered good models. He will “pull all strings necessary” to push research for this metropolitan health care clinic that struggles to treat in severe need.
Only one catch exists. The manufacturer insists on remaining anonymous to everyone. It will not disclose its identity, leadership and funding sources. “Ugh,” exclaims the hassled chair of the clinic’s board, as she realizes many people will question this “veil of secrecy.” However, other board members press her and the CEO to proceed. AI will find answers more quickly and also help discredit research that lacks scientific validity.
Advise the board, including its CEO. What legal and policy issues do you find with this situation? Provide specific guidance
Sample Solution
