Dora N. is a utilization review coordinator for a busy metropolitan hospital

Dora N. is a utilization review coordinator for a busy metropolitan hospital. Part of her job entails finding community resources to help impaired patients manage more effectively in their homes. Transportation for impaired patients is one of the most difficult services for Dora to find in the local community.

Dora’s sister, Janice, recently opened a private escort service designed to provide transportation for impaired elders to doctors’ offices and clinics. The business is growing very slowly, and Janice confides her frustration to Dora, “If only I had money to advertise.”

Dora realizes that she can help her sister and solve her patient discharge problems by identifying potential clients from the hospital’s database. In the next few weeks, Dora gives her sister the names and phone numbers of ten recently discharged patients. Janice contacts the patients and solicits three of them for her escort service.

Consider the following:

• Identify the ethical issue involved.
• Consider the case from Dora’s perspective. What was she trying to accomplish for her clients?
• If you were Dora’s supervisor, what additional information would you gather?
• Should disciplinary action be taken? Why or why not?
• Is there an ethical way for Dora to “hook up” her patients with her sister’s escort service?