Facts on the Health Care Administrator Code of Ethics

The American College of Health Care Administrators was founded in 1962 as a non-profit organization that supports its professional members through education, certification and career development. All members are expected to sign the association’s Code of Ethics.

About the Code of Ethics

• The Code of Ethics was created by the ACHCA and is meant to preserve the “highest standards of integrity and ethical principles” that are essential to long-term health care administrators. The Code begins with a preamble and is made up of four “expectations” that state a main theme that is elaborated upon through multiple bulleted points.

Purpose of the Code

• The Code of Ethics is considered a set of fundamental rules by which every member of the ACHCA must abide. Prescriptions and proscriptions are a part of each set of “expectations,” and members must sign an agreement to follow the Code.

Expectations of the Code

• The Code of Ethics includes four main expectations. They are listed below.

  1. “Individuals shall hold paramount the welfare of persons for whom care is provided.”
  2. “Individuals shall maintain high standards of professional competence.”
  3. “Individuals shall strive, in all matters relating to their professional functions, to maintain a professional posture that places paramount the interests of the facility and its resources.”
  4. “Individuals shall honor their responsibilities to the public, their profession, and their relationships with colleagues and members of related professions.”

Proscriptions

• Along with expectations of how healthcare administrators should carry out their profession, the Code of Ethics also includes proscriptions, or specific actions a healthcare administrator should not do. These include divulging personal or professional information of patients to unauthorized personnel, misrepresenting her qualifications, participating in activities that could have a negative impact on patients or create an obvious conflict of interest, and, lastly, members shall not defend or ignore inappropriate conduct from colleagues.

Obligations

• According to the Code of Ethics, it is the obligations of all members of the ACHCA to follow the Code’s expectations. Each member individually assumes the responsibility of applying the expectations of standards and ethics to his or her practice.