Riverbend Orthopedics is a busy group practice with expanded services for orthopedic care. It has seven physicians and a podiatrist, plus about 70 other employees. At its big, new clinic building, Riverbend provides extensive orthopedic care. Several technicians provide diagnostic medical imaging, from basic X-rays to magnetic resonance images.

The physicians perform surgery in their own outpatient surgery center with Riverbend’s own operating nurses and technicians. Therapy is provided by three physical therapists and one part-time contracted occupational therapist. In addition to staff providing actual patient care, the clinic has staff for financial management, medical records, human resources, information systems/technology, building maintenance, and other administrative matters. Occasional marketing work is done by an advertising company.

Legal work is outsourced to a law firm. Riverbend is managed by a new president, Ms.

Garcia. She and Riverbend have set a goal of achieving “Excellent” ratings for patient experience from at least 90 percent of Riverbend’s patients this year.

Ms. Garcia believes in accountability. She thinks Riverbend should do more to hold employees accountable for their performance, especially regarding patient experience.

Yet, she also believes Riverbend Orthopedics must be accountable to employees for ensuring their safety and rights.

Mini Case Study Questions MCQ1. To help Riverbend achieve its goal, explain in detail how Ms. Garcia could apply performance appraisal methods from this chapter to evaluate the performance of all employees who have direct interaction with patients.
MCQ2. Based on information in this chapter, suggest at least five ways the Riverbend workplace might be unsafe or employees’ rights might not be ensured. What could Ms. Garcia do to protect employees’ safety and rights?