A patient walks into her local Emergency Department complaining of back pain. She appears uncomfortable, and states that she was injured in a car accident about a year ago and now has chronic pain in her back. Her x-ray looks normal. She states that her pain is best managed with regular doses of oxycodone, but she ran out and has not been able to see her regular doctor for a refill. She came to the Emergency Department for a prescription instead. Imagine you are the physician. What action would you take?

a. Provide a dose of medication to the patient in the ER to be sure it will be adequate and give the patient a prescription for a couple days’ worth of the requested medication.

b. Call her regular doctor to confirm the medication and dose before providing any medication.

c. Check the state database to be sure this patient is not seeking prescriptions from multiple providers.

d. Offer only non-narcotic pain medications.

The Alden March Bioethics Institute offers a Master of Science in Bioethics, a Doctorate of Professional Studies in Bioethics, and Graduate Certificates in Clinical Ethics and Clinical Ethics Consultation. For more information on AMBI's online graduate programs, please visit our website.

The July 31, 2012, issue of the Chicago Tribune carried an article entitled “Chicago-Based Accretive Health Banned from Doing Business in Minnesota for 2 Years.”

Facts in the article are sketchy: (1) The Minnesota attorney general’s office began investigating possible privacy breaches when a hospital account collections company laptop was stolen two years ago. The laptop contained the names and protected health information of 23,000 patients treated at two Minnesota hospitals. (2) The company – Accretive Health – manages billing and collections for hospitals. One hospital in Minnesota accounted for 9.9% of Accretive’s first quarter revenue - $25 million out of $253.7 million.

The Alden March Bioethics Institute offers a Master of Science in Bioethics, a Doctorate of Professional Studies in Bioethics, and Graduate Certificates in Clinical Ethics and Clinical Ethics Consultation. For more information on AMBI's online graduate programs, please visit our website.