You, along with three others, Kim, Jordon and Terry, were invited to speak as part of a panel on rising healthcare costs. The focus of the panel is on finding ways to prioritize cost control in healthcare organizations without a profit motive, such as non-profit hospitals and governmental units. Kim, the first speaker, works as a consultant and argues that the profit motive is key to motivating innovation, efficiency and cost control. Jordon, who works in a nonprofit hospital, states that some costs are just hard to control, such as the cost of pharmaceuticals and the cost of new medical devices and equipment. Jordon continues his argument by stating that hospitals need to prioritize the quality of the healthcare they provide and that sometimes means purchasing the latest equipment and providing patents the latest pharmaceutical. Terry, who works for a United States Federal agency argues that objectives, other than profit, can be effective in managing and motivating employees to control costs. Both Terry and Jordon state that cost control is important but not at the expense of quality healthcare. Kim counters by saying that administrators of non-profits and managers of governmental units need to implement measures that insure that both quality and cost are considered.

Provide some insight into this debate by answering question one, question two or question three (or any combination of the three questions).

Question One: Assume you have just taken over a high-level administrator’s position at a non-profit hospital. How would you motivate the hospital staff to prioritize cost control while maintain high quality?

Question Two: Assume you are the last speaker on the panel. Kim, Jordon and Terry have already presented their positions on the topic. Critique one or more of the other speakers’ positions. Keep in mind that the speakers will be given the opportunity to challenge your critique.

Question Three: Present your own thoughts on the best way(s) to control healthcare costs. Include in your perspective how you would try to control the costs Jordon states are hard to control, namely, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and medical equipment?