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Montefiore Medical Center - Code of Ethics
Healthcare organizations have enormous impact on what health services are available in a community, and whether those services adequately meet the community's needs. Our Code of Ethics assures that ethical principles will guide and govern our decision making and is of critical importance to the entire community.
Leading the Way
Montefiore has long stood by its code of organizational ethics, leading the way for examination of ethical integrity in the area of business relationships and other factors that could influence the way that hospitals provide treatment. In fact, we believe that Montefiore was the first hospital in the U.S. to develop such a code.
Our Code of Ethics is an explicit statement of the ethical principles to which Montefiore Medical Center is committed—such as the obligation to foster the quality of clinical care, to pursue a socially responsible agenda and to manage resources wisely. It is designed to build these principles into decision making at all levels of the institution.
Providing Support and Resources
Montefiore has a long and proud tradition in bioethics stretching back more than thirty years. The Montefiore-Einstein Center for Bioethics runs an active Bioethics Consultation Service to help patients, families and health professionals resolve ethical concerns and tensions related to values that affect healthcare decisions. The Bioethics Consultation Service responds to calls from any concerned party who is involved in a clinical case, including patients and family members. Our bioethics consultants make sure that all relevant voices are heard, help clarify values at stake, foster consensus and resolve conflict.
Montefiore’s Bioethics Committee addresses issues of hospital ethics policy, serves as a supervisory body for the consultation service and identifies emerging bioethics issues that affect the medical center. The committee brings together a wide range of professionals from within the institution, as well as outside members and includes ethicists, physicians, nurses, social workers, patient representatives, clergy, risk managers and hospital legal counsel.
