A code of ethics is a set of statements that the organization’s leaders put forward to showcase their support for specific values and standards of behavior. This is especially true for healthcare professionals, who rely on ethics in their practice and have to make ethical decisions when working with patients. This paper will compare the two codes of ethics of colleges that specialize in healthcare.
The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a standard of conduct for members. It includes ethical guidelines for healthcare executives to follow in their working dealings (ACHE, n.d.). Colleagues, patients, or those serviced, members of the healthcare executive’s organization and other organizations, the community, and society as a whole are all part of these interactions. Therefore, this code of ethics aims to address the majority of interactions and professional connections that healthcare professional has to manage in their practice.
As opposed to this, the code of ethics for the American College of Healthcare Administration (ACHCA) also emphasizes the professional practice of future healthcare professionals. The upholding of the highest levels of integrity and ethical values is critical to the effective fulfillment of all long-term health care administrators’ professional obligations. The American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) has issued this Code of Ethics in an effort to emphasize the core standards considered necessary to this primary aim (ACHCA, n.d.). Members must aim to avoid not just conduct expressly prohibited by the code but also conduct that is inconsistent with its spirit and purpose. The absence of a specific obligation or practice from ACHCA’s Code of Ethics should not be interpreted as a denial of the existence of other responsibilities or practices. Recognizing that the ultimate responsibility for upholding norms and ethics rests with the individual is essential.
ACHE’s approach focuses on the responsibilities of the healthcare organizations towards the patients and healthcare organizations. In contrast to this, ACHCA has outlined the expectations from their students as elements of the code of ethics. However, unlike ACHCA, ACHE contains a statement that outlines directions for a student who has evidence that another individual violated the institution’s code of ethics. ACHCA does not have such a statement, which shows that there are no repercussions to not following the code of ethics.
The focus of the two codes of ethics on the different elements of healthcare differs as well, and these elements align with the guidelines of these organizations. The ACHCA code cautions professionals to prohibit and to employ or practice medicine based on race, gender, age, nationality, or other characteristics. ACHE does not contain such a statement on equal treatment. ACHE reminds its members of their obligation to settle “conflicts that may develop when the values of patients and their families diverge from those of staff and physicians” (para. 5). These disagreements can range from whether or not to utilize artificial methods to keep a terminally sick patient alive to opposing opinions on organ donation. ACHE emphasizes that any members of the family who act on behalf of patients have the authority to make choices, and that person should be required to determine and respect those choices. ACHCA, in contrast, does not outline this practice in its code of ethics. However, in my opinion, the ethics that relate to telemedicine and information technology use in healthcare should be added as this has become more important in recent years.
In summary, this paper compares the codes of ethics of two professional healthcare organizations, ACHCA and ACHE. Generally, the two institutions focus on the practices, behaviors, and interactions that the students should employ in their work. However, there are some differences between these ethics statements, for example, the approach towards conflicts of interest or prejudice towards patients. The two codes are similar in the way they address the values and practice standards of healthcare professionals.
References
The American College of Healthcare Administration (ACHCA). (n.d.). Code of ethics. Web.
The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). (n.d.). ACHE code of ethics. Web.