Tip of the Month
Good Rules Make for Good Behavior
histleblowing results from a failure of the ethical environment of a hospice organization to focus on its accountability for the safety and welfare of the patients and families being served. Staff of the organization believe they must take a stand for the wrongdoing of the organization, so they become “whistleblowers.” So how can a hospice organization create the “climate of compliance” to prevent it from becoming a whistleblower’s target? Whistleblower prevention starts with the development of a set of organizational values that are referenced often by managers and are familiar to every employee, says Judi Lund Person, NHPCO’s vice president of compliance and regulatory leadership. Here are six ways to achieve good values: 1. Develop a code of conduct that emphasizes the values guiding the organization and for which there is no compromise. 2. Build a climate of trust and accountability by establishing rules that are clear and require management to hold all staff to those expectations. 3. Form an ethics committee to develop policies and procedures that reflect the desired values. 4. Hold periodic staff education sessions on what practices your hospice regards as unethical or illegal. Emphasize the role of each employee in creating a climate of “doing the right thing.” 5. Establish a clear, published policy and procedure for all individuals to follow when they believe the present practice is irreconcilable with the organization’s values or is out of compliance with laws and regulations. Allow anonymous reporting and keep channels of communication open with the reporter of an issue. 6. Make available to staff an internal hotline or a designated compliance officer to hear concerns about possible wrong doing.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - February 2012