IrisheyesT
Joined: 12 Apr 2003
Posts: 3
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2003 11:25 am Post subject: Ethics Question
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I am a tech and I have a question about a compliance issue. My Nurse Manager/Administrator is also a drug rep for Cathflow. Cathflow is a drug used for catheters that are clotting. Since she became a drug rep the use of CathFlow has risen dramatically. I am not questioning the use of Cathflow per se. She is following the protocol put in place by the Medical Director. What I do question is the ethics of using a drug that an employee of the unit is a rep for and might possibly benefit from. Some of the "Higher Ups" are aware of her affiliation with the drug company and have, I assumed, decided to turn a deaf ear to the problem. My question I guess is, "Would this be considered Medicaid Fraud?" and if so what options do I have to try to fix this while not putting my job in jeopardy? Thanks for any input.
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realdialysisethics
Joined: 06 Jan 2003
Posts: 41
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2003 11:32 am Post subject: Re: Ethics Question
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You have an industry that has no Standards and its anything goes policy. I would turn it in anonymous to Medicare,as there is no "whistleblowing" immunity for health care workers.<
>I dont think that anything can be done as this field of medicine you can profit off the patients. <
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Hemo RN
Joined: 24 Feb 2003
Posts: 17
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2003 1:48 pm Post subject: Ethics
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This would be strictly prohibited in an FMC clinic. If this happens to be a FMC clinic the BUCO (business unit compliance officer) needs to be notified. There is also the complaince hotline to call in any questionable business practices. I am also curious as to whether the Cathflow protocol was in place before the manager became a drug rep? Or did she get it passed by the medical directors after she assumed her new job? I can't believe that any unit manager doing their job well would have time to do any other work. I would have to do it from 12am-4am. This has to be taking time away from patient care.
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IrisheyesT
Joined: 12 Apr 2003
Posts: 3
Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 7:32 am Post subject: Ethics Question
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I pretty much knew that this would be prohibited, but am just now sure what I can do with out putting my job in jeo[ardy. The staff learned the hard way that there is no such thing as confidentiality. She was reported to corporate for other unethical and unprofessional things she had done. All that happened was a slap on the wrist for her and couple of weeks of hell for the staff. She is very vengeful and makes life miserable for anyone she percieves as questioning her authority. Thats' why I was thinking more along the lines oe reporting the "fraud" to Medicaid instead. As far as when the Cathflow protocol was put into place..I am not sure but I think it happened after she became a rep.<
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IrisheyesT
Joined: 12 Apr 2003
Posts: 3
Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 7:40 am Post subject: Ethics Question
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Sorry about that. Hit send before I got a chance to finish or spell check.<
> As far as her having the time to do two jobs. She rarely is in the unit 40 hours a week. And has even left the unit for a few hours when she was there to go do Cathflow business. The staff (and Patients) have learned that we are better off without her in the unit. Fortunately for her we have an amazing charge nurse who will do everything the N/M is not doing for the sake of the patients. For the Charge Nurse and the rest of the staff the patients come first and are our first priority. Thanks for the input.
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aprnjam
Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 85
Posted: Fri May 02, 2003 7:31 pm Post subject: Re: Ethics Question
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IrisheyesT, I just joined this group, and I an just getting around to reading all these posts. The more I read, the more I am appalled by what occurs in some of the dialysis units. I am a Nurse Practitioner, and what your nurse supervisor is doing violates all rules of ethics for nurses. All nurses, when they receive their licenses from the State Board of Nursing, agree to certain standards that they will adhere to as far as professionalism and ethics are concerned. This nurse has stepped over the line. What you can do, and not put your job in jeopardy, is report her to the State Board of Nursing for unethical behavior. This can be done anonymously and she will never know who reported her. As far as she will know, it could have been anyone, a patient, a family member, a coworker, a superior, anyone. Go to a search engine (Google is my favorite) and search for State Boards of Nursing. Find your state and look for the Complaints Section. There will be an 800 number there. All you need is her name, nothing more. Tell the Intake Person the nature of your complaint and that you wish to remain anonymous. If you wish to further protect your anonymity, you can use a pay phone to make this call. Don't let her get away with this. Patients are being put at risk for her behavior. If you don't turn her in, then this will continue. Someone has to do it. What will happen to her, is that she will receive a letter from the State Board of Nursing informing her that a complaint has been issued against her, and state the charges. She will be given 30 days to file her response. The case will be investigated by an investigator, then their findings will be presented to a Board of her peers. They will evaluate her response and the investigator's findings and decide on what, if any, punishment should be issued. This range from dismissal of the charges, a letter of reprimand to be placed in her official file for 2 years, a fine, or revocation of her license. If nurses are not reported for inappropriate behavior, the Board of Nursing will not know. I encourage you to take this action. If you would like to e-mail me privately, my e-mail is: djmeador1@iglide.net. Good luck with your decision.
