In the Beatrice Vance case, it was found that both the CEO as well as the CIO (chief information officer) were found liable in a wrongful death lawsuit. In your initial post, discuss why the court ruled that the CIO was just as guilty as the CEO. Do you agree with the court’s decision? Be sure to support your position. In your follow-up posts to peers, be sure to support your opinion if you find yourself disagreeing with their assessment.
REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE. (MINIMUM OF 200 WORDS)
CLASSMATE’S POST
In the Beatrice Vance case, investigative agencies established that both the CEO and the chief information officer (CIO) were liable in a wrongful death suit. I agree with the court’s decision because the CIO was as guilty as the CEO. After all, both the officers had a duty to ensure that the emergency department operated effectively. Vance’s death was primarily caused by delayed attendance, which implicates failure by the management and the CIO to set systems that could ensure operational efficiency to reduce the length of waiting. Therefore, considering the roles of the CEO and CIO in the administrative and technical mandate of streamlining service delivery, the death of Vance in the bay was a depiction of negligence.
In the healthcare setting, operational excellence is essential because it determines the flow of patients in the emergency department. The key to operational excellence is through organizational systems that enhance efficiency (Furterer, 2018). A CIO has a mandate of ensuring optimal efficiency of systems such as seamless workflow, alert systems, and notifications of critical cases that require immediate attention (Kannry et al., 2016). Whereas many factors contribute to the seamless workflow, the organizational management and CIO have a duty and responsibility to set systems that optimize cross-functional processes. Case in point, the CIO should implement a system-wide view to streamline service delivery through health information systems (HIS). According to Kannry et al. (2016), the CIO’s role ensures the quality of care is realized through practical techniques and workflow. In this context, the CIO’s failure to have an effective workflow in the emergence department amounts to negligence and failure in their duty of care, leading to service delivery delays in the ED.