CODE OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOR 

Bay Regional Medical Center is a leading hospital in our region and an integral part of a premier integrated health system. Our goal is to be Michigan’s best value in health care as defined by quality outcomes and cost.

Individuals working in health care are generally held to higher standards than those who work in most other occupations. To fulfill the public’s expectations of proper performance, health care institutions must create cultures in which ethical behavior is fostered by the environment, modeled by management, and required and valued by the institution.

The core values of Patient Care, Operational Decisions, Relationships, and Individual Responsibility, serve as the anchor for the process of ethical decision-making. The goal is identification of a course of action, which best respects the dignity of human beings. The core values work in concert with the Hospital’s mission statement, the guiding principles, and the strategic plan enabling the ethical process to serve as the template, which aligns policy and practice.

Patient Care

The values that govern all who are associated with Bay Regional Medical Center in carrying out its mission: 

• Each person is unique, is to be valued, and will be treated with dignity and respect;
• We are committed to excellence in patient care and will strive for innovation and continuous improvement in our services and facilities
• We are committed to excellence in our relationships with physicians, employees purchasers, vendors, and the public;
• Within our resources, we will promote ongoing training and education for achieving the full potential of all our employees and physicians.

Operational Decisions

In order to remain focused on our mission, we value the belief that:

• Members of the Governing Board, medical staff and hospital employees will act with honor and fairness in all business transactions.
• Bay Regional Medical Center will act with integrity in its roles as a leading health care provider, a major employer, a responsible member of the community and a good neighbor.
• Not only will services be delivered in a cost-effective manner, but we will also be responsible financial stewards.
• Effective leadership will be present at all organizational levels.
• A clean, safe, healing environment is beneficial for patients and staff.
• A rational process shall be utilized when making operational decisions.

Relationships

In order to develop a rich diversity of relationships that will energize our efforts to continually design a better health care system, we value the belief that:

• Honesty will prevail in our interactions with patients and their families, with each other, and in our business dealings.
• We will seek to understand the viewpoints of others and will respect them.
• We will pursue the development of relationships with physicians, hospitals, other health care providers and community organizations in order to more effectively and efficiently meet the needs of our service area in the most appropriate setting.

Individual Responsibility

In order to promote the honor and dignity of the patients we serve as well as those who work beside us, we value the belief that:

• Each person is accountable for his or her own life and health. As health care providers, we empower patients to assume this responsibility by furnishing services, knowledge and support. As members of the Bay Regional Medical Center staff, we are empowered by continuing education in our fields and by being granted the authority to act in our individual roles to achieve the Bay Regional Medical Center mission and live by the Bay Regional Medical Center values.
• We are open to new ways of thinking and continuous learning to habitually improve our services and the manner in which they are delivered.

Code of Ethical Behaviors

Several broad activities reflect the essence of Bay Regional Medical Center’s ethical operations.

Admission

As a regional referral center, Bay Regional Medical Center accepts patients from other health care facilities and physicians and has developed clinical relationships with many providers in East Central Michigan. All patients with emergent and urgent conditions are admitted for diagnostic services as well as treatment regardless of their ability to pay for the care provided. All patients and employees are provided with a copy of Patient Rights and Responsibilities which among other things assures access to impartial, respectful treatment; confidentiality; personal safety; as well as understandable information about diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

Billing Practices

It is the goal of the Bay Regional Medical Center finance department to explain billing procedures, answer questions and resolve disputes in a timely and hospitable manner. Should a matter not be settled to a patient’s satisfaction, it is referred to the Patient Representative.

Conflict of Interest

To proactively identify areas of possible conflict, board members and hospital officers annually complete a duality of interest statement in which they list any potential conflict of interest.

Integrity of Clinical Decision Making

Clinical decisions are to be based on an individual’s health care needs alone.

Discharge

The decision to discharge patients from Bay Regional Medical Center is based on the attending physician’s determination of what is medically appropriate and not patient or hospital economics. Before discharge, matters of transportation; patient education regarding discharge instructions; and needed medications will be finalized to the best of a patient’s satisfaction and understanding.

Marketing

Marketing activities include data collection, public relations and advertising. Honesty, accuracy and decency will prevail in all of these activities.

Transfer of Patients

Patient transfers are made on the basis of medical needs and not the financial situation of the patient or the hospital.