The UMass Memorial Health Care (UMMHC or UMass) case is an examination of the impact of crisis or high uncertainty events on organizations. As a global pandemic unfolds, the case examines the ways in which UMMHC manages crisis and poses questions around organizational change and opportunity for growth after such major events. The case begins with a background of UMMHC, including problems the organization was up against before the pandemic, then transitions to the impact of crisis on UMMHC operations and its subsequent response, and concludes with challenges that the organization must grapple with in the months and years ahead. A crisis event can occur at any time for any organization. Organizational leaders must learn to manage stakeholders both inside and outside the organization throughout the duration of crisis and beyond. Additionally, organizational decision-makers must learn how to deal with existing weaknesses and problems the organization had before crisis took center stage, balancing those challenges with the need to respond to an emergency all the while not neglecting major existing problem points. This case is well-suited for courses on strategy determination and implementation, organizational behavior, and leadership.

The Envision Healthcare (EVHC) case examines the operations of one of EVHC's divisions, EmCare, a national physician services outsourcing company. The case describes EmCare's controversial use of out-of-network billing for a significant share of its revenues. As the company faced increasingly negative scrutiny for these practices, the case highlights the different perspectives and vantage points- both good and bad- of this strategic decision, and delves into the question of ethical practices as it relates to out-of-network billing. Students will explore the legal, societal, and economic implications of EmCare's business model, grappling with questions of business ethics and responsibility to customers. As EVHC contemplates reducing the out-of-network billing practices of its divisions including EmCare, the company faces important questions around financial viability, which serve as an opportunity for students to develop recommendations and novel approaches to EVHC's strategic quandary. Ethical challenges are common to healthcare organizations as they develop and implement strategy. Organizations must deal with questions of profitability and performance against the backdrop of making self-guided decisions around social responsibility and ethical practices. The case provides relevant context regarding emergency medicine, out-of-network billing, and payer-provider-hospital relationships. With this background, students are encouraged to consider the gamut of considerations, some of which are not so obvious, when weighing strategic decisions that bear in mind social and ethical implications.