The health care manager
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Recently, there has been much written about professional ethics in health care, but the literature has tended to focus on the ethical care and treatment of patients and protection of their privacy and confidential information. This article focuses on the ethical behavior of health care professionals and how they treat each other in the workplace. Examples of unethical behavior are described ranging from subtle favoritism by managers and bullying to crossing the legal line. Two specific cases demonstrate serious situations where it was necessary for colleagues to "blow the whistle" even at the risk of their own careers.
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Providing culturally competent care has implications for health care managers and their organizations that go beyond a simple clinical perspective. The article defines culturally competent care and suggests what the specific strategic implications of delivering such care are. The author suggests the definition of culturally competent care for a health care manager as "the ability of any health care provider of any cultural background in one's organization to effectively treat any patient of any cultural background." Four basic steps are suggested for an organization wishing to develop a program of delivering culturally competent care to include situation analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategic control.
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Performance management consists of significantly more than periodic evaluation of performance. It is the art and science of dealing with employees in a manner intended to positively influence their thinking and behavior to achieve a desired level of performance. It is essential for the manager to always model positive behavior concerning performance; what one does or says as a manager always has an influence on others. ⋯ For each task to be done, an employee needs to know what output is expected, how this output will be measured, and what standards are applied in assessing the output. Managing employee performance requires ongoing contact with each employee, regular feedback, and whatever coaching, counseling, and training are necessary to bring an employee back on track when a problem appears. Sustaining efficient and effective employee performance requires the manager's ongoing attention and involvement.