Ask Yourself: “Do I know what BWH’s Code of Ethical Conduct is?”
A hospital’s behavior towards its patients and its business practices has a significant impact on the experience of and response to care. BWH is committed to conducting its affairs with the highest ethical and legal standards. Its Board of Trustees, medical staff, and employees are expected to act with integrity and honesty in accordance with BWH’s Code of Ethical Conduct.
Admission, Transfer and Discharge
Patients will be admitted, treated, transferred, and/or discharged based on their clinical needs and without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or ability to pay for services rendered.
Clinical Decision-Making
Clinical decisions affecting care are based on the patient’s identified clinical needs, regardless of any compensation structure or financial risk-sharing arrangements.
Billing Practices
Patients and/or third parties will be invoiced with itemized bills that indicate the dates on which services were provided. When a patient feels that charges are inappropriate due to a dispute involving quality of care, billing will be suspended and the issues will be referred to the appropriate patient relations department. An investigation of the problem will then be conducted to determine whether any adjustments should be made to said patient’s bill.
The complete code is located in the Administrative Policy Manual (APM) I-4.