Cases

Dale Morse, MD, MS, could feel the tension rising in the room. He was chair of a special meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) called for July, 2009, that would make recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on…

In January 2003, Dr. David Acheson, the new Chief Medical Officer of Health of the FDA was charged by his boss with working jointly with the EPA to develop a comprehensive set of federal guidelines for fish consumption for all Americans. The guidelines…

This case presents organizational challenges facing a physician champion of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). Dr. Julian Kuffler, working with his employer, the Mount Desert Island Hospital System (MDI), hoped to persuade the primary care…

This case provides an introduction to the structure and dynamics of nonprofit hospital governance in the U.S. A hospital CEO two years into her position is grappling with how to make her board a more effective governing body. The hospital’s competitive…

At the June 2007, Central City Medical Group (CCMG) board meeting, Deb Moore, Executive Director, reported that there were mounting tensions caused by the implementation of an electronic health record (EHR). Physician morale and productivity were…

Bill Hurt, the new CEO of Hillside Hospital, knew that the forecast was grim. The hospital’s service volumes and market share were dropping precipitously. The direct causes of the problems were numerous, but an indirect cause—and major barrier to…

“This patient might have died from complications related to her TPN (total parenteral nutrition) infusion,” said Dr. Isaac Johnson, Chief Medical Officer at Acme Medical Center (AMC). He was referring to problems that occurred during the treatment of a…

How might health insurance exchanges make health insurance more accessible and affordable for employers in the small group market (with 2–50 workers)? While the Massachusetts Health Connector—the state’s first-in-the-nation health insurance…

“Alameda Health System” (AHS) describes a county-owned safety net health system adapting to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and an increasingly competitive health delivery environment. It takes the perspective of senior management,…

On November 15, 1996, Stanford’s Board of Trustees and the University of California (UC) Board of Regents voted to merge their two academic medical centers; on November 1, 1997, the merger became official. However, less than two years later, in October…