CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE CODE OF ETHICS
It is the policy of Cambridge Health Alliance to use consistent
ethical guidelines in decision-making about patient care, employee
relations and business practices.
General Principles
The best interests of our patients drive our decision-making.
We are dedicated to the principle that all patients, employees,
physicians and visitors will be treated with dignity, respect, and
courtesy.
Honest, open communication characterizes all of our interactions
with patients, employees, and the community.
We honor the diversity of our patients, staff, and community and
create a culture in which all feel valued and respected.
We are committed to using a collaborative decision-making process
in resolving difficult patient care issues which involves all appropriate
parties.
We fairly and accurately represent ourselves and our capabilities.
We provide services to meet the identified needs of our patients
and do not provide unnecessary services.
We continuously improve the quality of our medical care.
We maintain patient confidentiality.
We honor our commitments to patients, staff, and the community.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards in meeting and exceeding
all of our professional standards and legal and regulatory obligations.
We continuously monitor our compliance with this code of ethics
and provide training as needed to achieve these goals.
Significant Ethical Policy Issues and Examples:
Patient Care Issues
Treatment decisions are made on a case by case basis. Our care
decisions are based on the clinical status of our patients and on
patient/family desire.
We work in partnership with our patients and, if appropriate, with
their families. We share information about patient needs and preferences,
diagnostic and treatment opportunities, and the risks and alternatives
to recommended courses of action. Communication with families is
guided by the wishes of our patients.
When unexpected consequences or errors occur which significantly
impact patient well being, it is our duty to inform the patient
and/or family of the probable cause.
We proactively develop systems to maintain patient and other information
in a confidential manner, recognizing the special challenges created
by the increasing use of electronic methods of storing and sharing
information.
We provide patients and their families with multiple methods to
share with us their issues and concerns.
All members of the health care team have independent duties to
be sensitive to a patient’s needs and desires and to report their
perceptions to the physician in charge. The physician will encourage
such communication.
Workplace Issues
We openly share information with our staff and keep our promises
to our employees.
We provide a safe workplace free from any form of discrimination
or harassment.
We encourage staff to share any ethical issues that arise for them
by providing both confidential and anonymous methods to communicate
their concerns.
We recognize that conflicts will inevitably arise amongst those
who participate in hospital and patient care decisions. We seek
to resolve all conflicts fairly and objectively.
Business Practices
We provide inpatient and outpatient services to persons regardless
of their ability to pay or immigration status.
Decisions to divert or transfer a patient to another facility are
made only upon patient request or when the patient’s specific disease
or condition cannot be safely treated at our facility.
Discharge decisions are based on the patient’s medical condition
and readiness for discharge. We work to ensure that patients are
treated at the most appropriate level of care.
We maintain a compliance program designed to establish a culture
that promotes prevention, detection and resolution of instances
of conduct which do not conform to federal and state law and federal,
state, and private health care program requirements.
We welcome patient or other payer questions about charges. Questions
will be discussed and conflicts resolved without real or perceived
harassment, using a fair and formal process.
As part of our process, we will disclose any potential conflicts
of interest and take appropriate actions to assure integrity.
We review all marketing materials to ensure that our organization,
services, and policies and procedures are stated to our community
and patients accurately, clearly, and in a culturally appropriate
manner.
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