EMPLOYEE CODE OF CONDUCT POLICY

EMPLOYEE CODE OF CONDUCT POLICY. Warsha, Samantha, Brenna, Alana.

Policy Outline. Overview Workplace Conduct and Employee Environment Gifts, Favours, and Conflicts of Interest Compliance and Ethics.

Overview.

What is this, Policy?. Employee Code of Conduct Policy is the most common policy within an organization. This policy lays out the company's principles, standards, and the moral and ethical expectations that employees and third parties are held to as they interact with the organization. An Employee Code of Conduct Policy "can also serve as a valuable reference, helping employees locate relevant documents, services and other resources related to ethics within the organization" Why have a code of Conduct - Free Ethics & Compliance Toolkit)..

Purpose. Every organization, regardless of industry, needs well-written policies and procedures to operate effectively. Policies are a set of general guidelines. They outline the organization’s plan for tackling certain issues. “The purpose of policies is to communicate an organization’s values, philosophy, and culture. They include, but aren’t limited to, the following: what employees can expect from the organization (employee benefits, vacation policy), what the company expects from employees (code of conduct, confidentiality agreements) and what customers and the community can expect from the organization (customer service policies)” (What is a policy vs. a procedure? PowerDMS)..

To provide patient-centered healthcare with excellence in quality, service, and access..

We will transform the healthcare experience through a culture of caring, quality, safety, service, innovation and excellence, and be recognized by employees, physicians, patients and families, volunteers and the community as: The best place to work The best place to practice medicine, and The best place to receive care.

We believe in: Excellence Diversity Integrity Compassion Teamwork.

Responsiblity. This policy applies to all employees regardless of employment agreement or rank..

Policy Elements. Compliance with law Respect in the workplace Protection of company property Professionalism (p ersonal appearance, corruption, job duties and authority, absenteeism and tardiness, conflicts of interest, collaboration, benefits, communication, policies).

Result of Violation. Demotion Reprimand Suspension or termination for more serious offenses Detraction of benefit for a definite or indefinite time Legal action may also be taken.

Workplace Conduct and Employee Environment.

Business Relations.

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse. Fraud, waste and abuse is taken very seriously. Whistleblower protection is extended to those reporting suspicion or knowledge of violation of code of conduct and or laws. Both state and federal fraud, waste, and abuse must be considered in compliance..

What exactly is Fraud, Waste and Abuse?. Fraud: Intentional deception of an individual or entity in order to receive unlawful benefits Can be performed by providers of patients Includes both verbal or written deception.

What exactly is Fraud, Waste and Abuse?. Waste: Waste is the misappropriation of use of facility resources (Gillespie, 2019) Typically not done with criminal intent.

What exactly is Fraud, Waste and Abuse?. Waste E xample #1: Jane is your patients. She requests a 12 month supply of her medications “just in case.” She also mentions she stockpiles extras at her home..

What exactly is Fraud, Waste and Abuse?. Waste Example #2 DR. Harper is known for being very thorough in his assessments . He orders CT, MRIs, and x-rays on every patient although rarely indicated..

Relationships with Physicians. Employees that interact with physicians or refering parties must be aware of appropriate relationships regarding Anti-kickback and Stark laws Anti-kickback and Stark laws that prohibit the individual or facility from benefiting from referrals.

Antitrust Laws - What are Antitrust Laws and what do they do?.

Trade Secrets- Trade secrets are valuable information that provides a business with an advantage over competitors who do not have that information ( Proprietary Information, n.d).

Media Relations. Our communication with the media is honest and transparent Communication with the media is handled by our communications director. Please refer all requests to her! Individual employees are asked not to discuss events or cases due to the possibility of legal concerns and or confidentiality.

Marketing and Advertising. Advertis ing for the facility is utilized to: I nform the public of services and Promote general health education. All material and content produced is truthful and informative..

Business Courtesies, Gifts, and Vendor Interactions.

Conflicts of Interest. Workforce employees are expected to hold the interest of the facility ahead of any personal or other business interests. Any known conflicts of interest must be disclosed upon hire or as they occur..

Compliance and Ethics.

Education and Training. •Annual training towards the employee code of conduct provides benefit to both management and their employees. Annual reorientation to the Employee code of conduct will: •Establish the role of acceptable behavior •Establish ethical and moral standards •Improve work ethic •Empowers employees (White, 2017).

Who Has to Complete the Education and Training?. •1. New employees will be expected to complete the online mandatory compliance within the first 90 days of employment. • 2. All employees are to complete the online mandatory compliance training annually in order to stay current with compliance policies..

Corrective Action. •The company observes a zero tolerance policy. Zero tolerance is defined as punishment for violating company policies (Lowe, 2018). Any claim for violation of the employee code of conduct will instigate an investigation. •Any claims reported have the option to be anonymous. •Employee accused of violating code of conduct will be suspended until proper investigation of the claim is completed. •The employee who has been reported on will not perform retaliation on the reporting employee or any member of the staff. Retaliatory measures include; physical or verbal abuse, spreading rumors about reporting employee, harassing reporting employee, or making the work environment difficult (EEOC, n.d.). •Any employee that performs retaliation actions as a result of an investigation will be automatically terminated.

Internal Audits and Investigation of Reports. •Employees are to report any activity that violates the employ code of conduct. The order that they may report to include: •The immediate supervisor/ director (ASHA, n.d.) •Human Resources •Corporate Compliance.

Outside Resources for guiding and Reporting Concerns.

Reference. What is a policy vs. a procedure? PowerDMS. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.powerdms.com/policy-learning-center/what-is-a-policy-vs.-a-procedure Why have a code of Conduct - Free Ethics & Compliance Toolkit . Ethics and Compliance Initiative. (2021, October 25). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.ethics.org/resources/free-toolkit/code-of-conduct/ •Amgen, (2021). Compliance Reporting and Non retaliation. Amgen. Retrieved 23 April 2021 from https://www.amgen.com/about/how-we-operate/policies-practices-and-disclosures/work-environment/compliance-reporting-and-non-retaliation •ASHA. (n.d). Compliance Reporting. American Speech- Language Hearing Association. Retrieved 25 April 2022 from https://www.asha.org/siteassets/uploadedFiles/Compliance-Reporting.pdf •EEOC, (n.d). Retaliation. U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved 26 April 2022 from https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation •Formplus (2021) 23 Ethical and Unethical Behavior Examples in Workplace. Formplus Blog. Retrieved 27 April 2022 from https://www.formpl.us/blog/workplace-ethics •Gardner, R. (n.d.). How to Prevent Retaliation in the Workplace: An HR’s Guide. Academy to Innovate HR. Retrieved 28 April 2022 from https://www.aihr.com/blog/retaliation-in-the-workplace/#:~:text=in%20the%20workplace-,What%20is%20retaliation%20in%20the%20workplace%3F,person%20is%20perceived%20by%20leadership . •Lowe, P. (2018). The Downsides of Zero-tolerance Policies. HR Hero Line. https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2014/07/23/the-downsides-of-zero-tolerance-policies/ •Ross, W. Anti-Harassment Policy Statement. Office of Civil Rights. Retrieved 28 April 2022 from https://www.commerce.gov/cr/policies/anti-harassment-policy-statement#:~:text=Prohibited%20workplace%20harassment%2C%20which%20includes,over)%2C%20genetic%20information%2C%20or •White, C. (2017). Importance of Code of Conduct Training in Employees. The Forum USA Career and Education Center. Retrieved 25 April 2022 from https://www.forumusa.org/importances-code-conduct-training-employees/ •.