The Importance of Accountability Paper
Week Four Individual Assignment
HCS/475
Robin Brunette
February 17, 2013
Accountability is important in every type of industry but for the health care industry it is very important. Someone is accountable for everything that occurs in each health care organization. Accountability is accepting ownership for everything that happens, whether it is good or bad. When employees have a high level of accountability fewer mistakes and the resources used by the organization will not be abused. The quality of care will also improve. When a surgeon does an excellent job, and saves a life, they are accountable. If a nurse administers too much medication to a patient and the patient has a severe reaction the nurse is accountable. Another example would be when a patient’s insurance is charged for services not provided the employee who made the mistake is accountable. For every action there is a consequence. Some consequences may be good and others may be bad, but everyone needs to be accountable for his or her actions.
Employees need to be accountable for their actions and to ensure the employees are accountable the management needs to measure their accountability. There are several ways this can happen. One way to measure employee accountability is to use performance management systems. By conducting performance reviews at set times is a good way to see how the employee is doing. These reviews can have certain goals the management wants the employee to achieve. A performance review can tell the management the areas the employee is thriving in and which areas he or she is struggling with. An employee who values his or her job performance and wishes to succeed will use these reviews as a way to improve in areas he or she is not scoring high in. The management can also offer the employee feedback and help him or her find ways to improve. This would be a successful situation for management and the employee because...