Code of Conduct
The Children’s Memorial Medical Center ("Children’s Memorial") is a unique place where children, families, physicians, and staff come together to ensure our patients get appropriate care. It’s a place where people matter, and where the customer-service focus, innovation, teamwork, and commitment of our staff make it possible to provide children with quality care. Our mission is dedicated to the health and well-being of all children.
With your help, this commitment drives us to be a leader in:
- Pediatric health care delivery;
- Research into the prevention, causes, and treatment of diseases that affect children;
- Education for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals;
- Advocacy for the general well-being of all children.
As a charitable organization, we serve children and their families to the best of our abilities and the limits of our resources.
Our vision is guided by the belief that all children need to grow up in a protective and nurturing environment, where each child is given the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. We believe this vision can provide a brighter future for all children. Just as we believe that each child should have the opportunity to reach his or her full potential, we are dedicated to providing you the opportunity to realize your full potential here at Children’s Memorial.
Our promise to you is this--to cultivate a challenging yet compassionate work environment, to help you achieve your professional and personal goals, to recognize your strong performance, and to listen to your feedback and act upon it. Fulfilling this promise is how Children’s Memorial will remain a great place to work. Our Service Principles also reinforce and strengthen our environment of compassion and service. By embracing and continually striving for Service Excellence, we are expressing, with pride, that we are an organization where kids come first.
Everything we do for our patients and families starts with you. We expect you to perform to the best of your ability, and we also rely on you to ensure that you do this in an ethical way. This doesn’t only mean clinical ethics - it includes business ethics as well. Children’s Memorial Organizational Ethics Statement - Code of Ethics outlines the general principles that guide our actions and the ethical commitments through which we convey respect to patients and their families, staff, physicians, volunteers, payors, the health care community, and the many other communities Children’s Memorial serves.
The Code of Conduct (the "Code") is based on our Corporate Compliance Program (the "Program"). It is called a "compliance program" because it outlines what we do at Children’s Memorial to ensure that we comply with legal and ethical requirements. The Code explains some of the behaviors that you must exhibit and embrace, demonstrating your commitment to the mission, vision and strategic goals of Children’s Memorial.
Elements of the Program include: (1) setting standards through written policies and procedures (including the Code), (2) communicating the standards through education and training programs, (3) providing a mechanism for reporting potential violations, (4) ongoing monitoring and auditing activities, (5) enforcing standards and disciplining non-compliant actions, (6) responding to and investigating potential problems, and (7) maintaining an organizational structure that supports the furtherance of the Program.
The Code provides direction to Children’s Memorial staff members to assist in carrying out daily activities within appropriate ethical and legal standards. Staff members governed by the Code include any person employed by Children’s Memorial and its officers, directors, volunteers, researchers, trainees, medical and dental staff and any other person or organization engaged by Children’s Memorial to provide products or services. The Code is not intended to cover every situation which may be encountered, and you should comply with all applicable laws and regulations whether or not specifically addressed in the Code of Conduct.
The Code has been developed to be easily understood and demonstrates in the clearest terms the commitment of the organization to the highest standards of ethics and compliance. The Code provides you with the direction on what to do if you have a question or a concern about a business practice. Please use the Code as a guide if you are confronted with a situation that raises questions about business ethics. It is very important that you report any good faith perceived violation of law or business ethics outlined in this document. This is our expectation, and we promise that there will be no adverse consequences to you for doing so. Remember - living up to our commitment to legal and ethical business practices starts with you!
The following principles govern our behavior at Children’s Memorial:
We obey the law.
At Children’s Memorial, we obey all applicable laws. Since these laws may change, we cannot list them all here. However, you are expected to be aware of and follow laws that affect the way you do your job. If you have any questions about legal issues affecting your job, you should refer them to your supervisor or to the Corporate Compliance Office at 773.868.8922.
We do business in accordance with antitrust laws.
You must not engage in any behavior that might interfere with fair competition. For example, federal and state antitrust laws prohibit price fixing and bid rigging as well as collusion, which includes sharing price or cost data with competitors. Boycotts, certain exclusive dealing and price discrimination agreements against competitors, vendors or purchasers, including bribery, misappropriation of trade secrets, deception, intimidation and similar unfair practices, are also covered by these laws.
We behave in a way that is appropriate for a charitable organization.
As a charitable tax-exempt organization, we have a legal and ethical obligation to use our resources in a way that promotes the public good rather than the private or personal interests of any individual. Therefore, we avoid compensation arrangements in excess of fair market value, accurately report payments to appropriate taxing authorities, and file all tax and information returns consistent with applicable laws. It is also important to know that if you contribute to a political campaign, it is as an individual, not as a representative of Children’s Memorial, and you must use your own personal funds.
Children’s Memorial is organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes to serve the healthcare needs of the communities, and therefore it is exempt from the payment of federal income tax. All of its assets are used exclusively to further Children’s Memorial’s charitable purposes. Such assets may not be used to benefit any individual or person who are in a position to exercise influence over the business concerns of Children’s Memorial. Moreover, Children’s Memorial may not allow net earnings to benefit insiders of the organization, nor may Children’s Memorial take part in any activities that result in excess financial benefits (for example excessive compensation) to any private individual.
We are honest in our communications and business relationships.
You are expected to be honest in your communication with patients and families, attorneys, staff members, auditors and with all of those with whom we do business. This means that no misleading statements may be made about our services or products or those of our competitors. It also means, for example, that you do not copy materials in violation of copyright laws or use any confidential business information obtained from a competitor and that you do not accept gifts of any substantial value from those with whom we do business. If you have any questions about whether a gift is appropriate, talk to your supervisor or the Corporate Compliance Office at 773.868.8922.
You are expected to be honest in coding for services rendered, filing claims for reimbursement, and in seeking payment for services. If you have any responsibilities in this area, it is expected that you will be absolutely honest and accurate in submitting claims and bills.
We see all patients who present themselves for emergency treatment or screening.
Generally, in an emergency situation, you are not to transfer or refer a person presenting to the hospital to another institution for treatment without first trying your best to make sure the patient has been stabilized and all other requirements have been met. In accordance with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act ("EMTALA"), we are committed to providing an appropriate initial medical screening to anyone requesting it, without regard to their financial situation or insurance coverage.
We are honest in all matters related to patient referrals and patient billing.
The Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse laws prohibit certain behaviors involving billing and patient referrals, and it is very important that you not engage in these practices. These laws forbid any type of direct, indirect or disguised payments in exchange for the referral of patients. They also prohibit submission of false, fraudulent or misleading claims to any government entity or third party payor, including claims for services not provided, claims that characterize the service differently from the actual service, or claims that do not otherwise comply with applicable program or contractual requirements, and making false representations to any person or entity in order to gain or retain participation in a program or to obtain payment for any service.
It is very important that you report a potentially suspect arrangement immediately. If you are not sure if something you are asked to do is appropriate, ask your supervisor or the Corporate Compliance Office at 773.868.8922.
We do not offer financial inducements.
You shall not offer any financial inducement, gift, payoff, kickback, or bribe to induce, influence, or reward favorable decisions of any government personnel or representative, any customer, contractor, or vendor in a commercial transaction, or any person in a position to benefit Children’s Memorial or other staff members in any way. You are strictly prohibited from engaging in any corrupt business practice either directly or indirectly. In accordance with the anti-kickback laws, you shall not make or offer payment or provide any other thing of value to another person with the understanding or intention that such payment or other thing of value is to be used for an unlawful or improper purpose.
We provide you with assets to make your job more efficient.
We will make available to you assets and equipment necessary to conduct our business including such items as computer hardware and software, billing and medical records, in hardcopy or electronic format, fax machines, office supplies, and various types of medical equipment. You should strive to use our assets in a prudent and effective manner. Our property should not be used for personal reasons or be removed from Children’s Memorial without approval from a department manager.
We respect confidentiality and privacy.
In the course of your job, you may have access to confidential information about patients and families, your co-workers, or business practices of Children’s Memorial. You are expected to keep this information confidential and not discuss it with anyone without prior authorization. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") federal guidelines are a guide to our practices to ensure that patient information is kept private, confidential and secure.
We do what is right for the organization when entering into agreements.
A conflict of interest may occur if your outside activities, personal financial interests, or other personal interests influence or appear to influence your ability to make objective decisions in the course of your job responsibilities. You are obligated to ensure you remain free of conflicts of interest in the performance of your job. Board members, senior management, and other individuals with applicable decision making authority are required to submit disclosure forms to disclose actual and potential conflicts related to decisions that arise during the year. All actual and potential conflicts will be reviewed and appropriate actions taken.
We conduct research, investigations, and clinical trials in accordance with all applicable laws.
Children’s Memorial Research Center follows high ethical standards and complies with federal and state laws and regulations in any research, investigation and clinical trials conducted by our physicians and professional staff. We do not tolerate intentional research misconduct. Examples of research misconduct include making up or changing results or copying results from other studies as your own; these are merely illustrative not exhaustive. We protect research subjects and respect their rights during research, investigations, and clinical trials.
We promote a workplace that is free of discrimination or harassment.
At Children’s Memorial you can expect to be treated fairly and equitably without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. This applies to hiring and other human resource practices, and to the way we treat each other on a daily basis. We also expect that you will treat our patients and families, your co-workers and everyone else with whom you come in contact at work in this same way.
We do not tolerate any form of harassment. This includes disruptive behavior or threats, derogatory comments and sexual harassment. If you feel you have been subject to such behavior, you should notify your supervisor or Human Resources at 773.880.4045.
We do not knowingly contract with persons or entities ineligible to participate in Federal healthcare programs.
We do not knowingly contract with, employ, or bill for services rendered by an individual or entity that is excluded or ineligible to participate in Federal healthcare programs; suspended or debarred from Federal government contracts; or has been convicted of a criminal offense related to the provision of healthcare items or services and has not been reinstated in a Federal healthcare program after a period of exclusion, suspension, debarment, or ineligibility, provided that we are aware of such a criminal offense.
We respect the environment.
Children’s Memorial is subject to many legal requirements under a variety of environmental laws concerning the handling, release, reporting, transporting and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. If you handle or are responsible for hazardous materials or waste, you must be knowledgeable about these materials and the environmental regulations affecting them.
In addition, we respect our environment and conserve natural resources. Therefore, it is important that you use resources appropriately and efficiently, recycle where possible, and dispose of all waste in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Children’s Memorial and its staff will also work cooperatively with the appropriate authorities to remedy any environmental contamination for which the hospital may be responsible.
In summary. . .
These principles form the basis for our commitment to ethical behavior that complies with all legal requirements. However, we cannot include in this document every legal or ethical issue that may arise. You must also use your own judgment.
If you have a concern about a legal or ethical issue, please report it to your supervisor. If your supervisor does not provide you with a satisfactory response in a reasonable amount of time, please raise your concern to senior management. Additionally, you may contact the Corporate Compliance Office at 773.868.8922, or you may call an internal number at 773.880.6302 at which you can leave a message reporting your concern, or you may call a toll-free compliance hotline at 800.273.8452 staffed by an outside service to receive reports. This hotline is available to you 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Although callers to both the internal number and the hotline may remain anonymous, please remember that to enable a thorough investigation, you are encouraged to disclose as much information as possible, including names. Reports through any mechanism will remain confidential to the fullest extent possible or as permitted by law.