Question:
(Balanced scorecard; writing; ethics) Assume that you are in charge of Physicians Social Service Agency, which provides counseling services to low-income families. The agency's costs have been increasing with no corresponding increase in funding. In an effort to implement some cost reductions, you took the following actions:
• Empowered counselors to make their own decisions about the legitimacy of all low-income claims.
• Told counselors not to review processed claims a second time to emphasize the concept of "do it right the first time."
• Set an upper and lower control limit of 5 minutes on a standard 15-minute time for consultations to discourage "out-of-control" conditions.
a. Discuss the ethics as well as the positive and negative effects of each of the ideas listed.
b. Develop a balanced scorecard for Physicians Social Service Agency that incorporates the three changes listed.