C.M.R. 02, 371, ch. 11
PREAMBLE - The preservation of the highest standards of integrity and ethical principles is vital to the successful discharge of the professional responsibilities of all Administrators. This Code of Ethics has been adapted nearly verbatim from the Code of Ethics of the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) with that organization's permission. Copies of the ACHCA Code, published in 1989, are available at cost from the Office of Licensing & Registration of the Department of Professional & Financial Regulation. It shall be the obligation of Administrators to seek to avoid not only conduct specifically proscribed by the code, but also conduct that is inconsistent with its spirit and purpose. Failure to specify any particular responsibility or practice in this Code of Ethics should not be construed as denial of the existence of other responsibilities or practices. Recognizing that the ultimate responsibility for applying standards and ethics falls upon the individual, the Board adopts the following Code of Ethics to make clear its expectations.
EXPECTATION I
Administrators shall hold paramount the welfare of persons for whom care is provided.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The Administrator shall:
Strive to provide to all those entrusted to his or her care the highest quality of appropriate services possible in light of resources or other constraints.
Operate the facility consistent with laws, regulations, and standards of practice recognized in the field of health care administration.
Consistent with law and professional standards, protect the confidentiality of information regarding individual recipients of care.
Perform administrative duties with the personal integrity that shall earn the confidence, trust, and respect of the general public.
Take appropriate steps to avoid discrimination on basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, handicap, marital status, ancestry, or any other factor that is illegally discriminatory or not related to bona fide requirements of quality care.
PROSCRIPTION: The Administrator shall not:
Disclose professional or personal information regarding recipients of service to unauthorized personnel unless required by law or to protect the public welfare.
EXPECTATION II
Administrators shall maintain high standards of professional competence.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The Administrator shall:
Possess and maintain the competencies necessary to effectively perform his or her responsibilities.
Practice administration in accordance with capabilities and proficiencies and, when appropriate, seek counsel from qualified others.
Actively strive to enhance knowledge of and expertise in long-term care administration through continuing education and professional development.
PROSCRIPTIONS: The Administrator shall not:
Misrepresent qualifications, education, experience, or affiliations.
Provide services other than those for which he or she is prepared and qualified to perform.
EXPECTATION III
Administrators 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 residents.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The Administrator shall:
Avoid partisanship and provide a forum for the fair resolution of any disputes which may arise in service delivery or facility management.
Disclose to the governing body or other authority as may be appropriate, any actual or potential circumstance concerning him or her that might reasonably be thought to create a conflict of interest or have a substantial adverse impact on the facility or its residents.
PROSCRIPTION: The Administrator shall not:
Participate in activities that reasonably may be thought to create a conflict of interest or have the potential to have a substantial adverse impact on the facility or its residents.
EXPECTATION IV
Administrators shall honor their responsibilities to the public, their profession, and their relationships with colleagues and members of related professions.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The Administrator shall:
Foster increased knowledge within the profession of health care administration and support research efforts toward this end.
Participate with others in the community to plan for and provide a full range of health care services.
Share areas of expertise with colleagues, students, and the general public to increase awareness and promote understanding of health care in general and the profession in particular.
Inform the Board's Complaint Committee of actual or potential violations of this Code of Ethics, and fully cooperate with the Board's sanctioned inquiries into matters of professional conduct related to this Code of Ethics.
PROSCRIPTION: The Administrator shall not:
Defend, support, or ignore unethical conduct perpetrated by colleagues, peers or students.
C.M.R. 02, 371, ch. 11
January 16, 2000
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 32 M.R.S.A Chapter 2, § 63-B(2)