Reference no: EM131177912

Health Information Systems

Affirmative Action in Reverse

A large urban hospital has been required to maintain an affirmative action program because it is a major government contractor ($20 million a year was received from government research contracts and Medicare payments). Under this program, the hospital agreed to promote two women into supervisory positions for each male selected. This promotion practice was to continue until 45% of all the supervisors were women. 
Health Information Services (HIS) had the first open position that qualified under this program, a position as clinical data supervisor. The HIS director, Dot Calm, was one of the few female department heads in the hospital. This department employs three men out of 75 employees. The director typically asks her assistant director, Jack Frost, to participate in the selection process. Frost maintains that a black female employee, Kay G. Ray, is the most qualified for the position. Ray has completed 2 years in medical school, is a graduate of a bachelor's degree program in health information management, and holds Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) and Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) credentials. Also, she has worked as a health data analyst in this department for about 1 year. 
Another current employee, Warren Buffer, has also applied for the position. Buffer has 9 more years of experience and 5 more years of seniority in the department than Ms. Ray but does not have comparable educational background or credentials. The human resource specialist recommends that Warren be given the job in compliance with the affirmative action program.

1. What factors should Dot consider in making her final decision?
2. What justification, if any, might she have for not making the affirmative action selection?
3. Which employee would you promote and why?