Ethics Article: Code of Ethics - Faith Regional Health Services

Code of Ethical Behavior

Faith Regional Health Services acknowledges and accepts a responsibility to the patients and community it serves to conduct business and patient care operations within a consistent ethical framework as defined by its mission, values, strategic plan and related policies and procedures.

Faith Regional Health Services, its Board of Directors, medical staff, executive management and employees will conduct patient care and all other business operations in an ethical manner consistent with the Mission of Faith Regional Health Services and traditions of the Catholic and Lutheran Faiths. These ethical practices will occur in but are not limited to, the areas of patient care and patient rights; billing and collection practices; marketing and community relations; admission, transfer and discharge practices; and avoidance of conflicts of interest in contractual relationships.

Guiding Principles
Quality patient care and services is the primary concern of Faith Regional Health Services regardless of financial, cultural or religious considerations. Therefore, the following principles will guide all Faith Regional Health Services relationships.

Community Relationships
Faith Regional Health Services will take a leadership role in the enhancement of public health and continuity of care in the communities it serves. This will be done through collaboration with other health care organizations,professionals and community services to improve access to and availability of health care services; health and wellness education; and other related services or programs.

Faith Regional Health Services may use marketing and/or advertising practices in an effort to educate the public; report to the community; increase awareness of services; increase support for the organization; or recruit employees. All advertising and marketing strategies will support the organizational mission, vision and values and will be truthful, fair, accurate, complete and sensitive to the needs of the community. False or misleading statements, or statements which may lead uninformed persons to draw false conclusions about Faith Regional Health Services, its competitors, or other health care providers are considered to be unethical and therefore unacceptable.

Faith Regional Health Services will be sensitive to potential conflicts of interest involving individuals or groups associated with the Board of Directors, medical staff or executive management (e.g., ownership or other financial interests in competing organizations or groups contracting with Faith Regional Health Services) and will diligently strive and avoid conflicts of interest and will work towards quick resolution should a conflict arise.

Patient Care Relationships
Faith Regional Health Services will strive to ensure the integrity of all clinical decisions made within the organization. All tests, treatments or other interventions will be based on the specific needs of individual patients regardless of hospital compensation issues, risk relationships and other business or contractual issues. This integrity will be maintained through the following ongoing activities:

Medical Staff Quality/Peer Review Process

Faith Regional Health Services Performance Improvement Activities

Patient Advocacy Activities

Board of Directors, Administration and/or Medical Staff Activities or Interventions.

Faith Regional Health Services will verify that physicians, health care professionals, and organizations with which it is formally or informally affiliated, have appropriate credentials and/or accreditation, and participate in organized programs to assess and assure continuous improvement in quality of care.

Faith Regional Health Services will provide ongoing programs for Utilization Review, Case Management and Discharge Planning. In cooperation with the attending physician these services will work to assure reasonable continuity of care, and will inform patients and their families of care alternatives when acute care is no longer needed.

Faith Regional Health Services will maintain policies and procedures that insure all patient transfers are medically appropriate and legally permissible. In the event of a transfer, physicians and professional staff will inform patient and their families of the need for and alternatives to such transfers.

To respect and promote the patient's rights to participate in care decisions, Faith Regional Health Services will maintain policies and procedures that support informed consent for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and the use of advance directives.

Faith Regional Health Services will strictly enforce policies and procedures relating to confidentiality of patient specific information, and release of such information to the news media and other parties.

Faith Regional Health Services will respect and accommodate, whenever possible, the religious and cultural beliefs and customs of our patients and their families.

The Ethics Committee of Faith Regional Health Services will serve as a mechanism for organizational change and for resolution of conflicting values and ethical dilemmas. In addition, the Ethics Committee will serve as a forum for resolution of complaints and disputes among patient, their families, medical staff, employees, the institution and the community.

Organizational Relationships
Faith Regional Health Services recognizes and supports the professional ethical codes of its various disciplines.

Faith Regional Health Services will insure that employee compensation, benefits, and Human Resource procedures will be administered fairly and equitably.

To the extent possible and consistent with the ethical commitments of the organization, Faith Regional Health Services will be sensitive to the desires of employees and medical staff to embody religious and/or moral values in their professional activities.

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