Code of Ethics for New York State Nursing Home Administrators
- COE is also available in Portable Document Format (PDF)
PREAMBLE: The preservation of the highest standards of integrity and ethical principles is vital to the successful discharge of the professional responsibilities of all long–term health care administrators. This Code of Ethics has been promulgated by the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) in an effort to stress the fundamental rules considered essential to this basic purpose. It shall be the obligation of members 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 ACHCA establishes the following Code of Ethics to make clear its expectation of the membership.
EXPECTATION I • Individuals shall hold paramount the welfare of persons for whom care is provided.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The Nursing Home 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 and other constraints.
- Manage, direct, and administer 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 will earn the confidence, trust, and respect of the general public.
- Take appropriate steps to avoid discrimination on basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, national origin, handicap, marital status, ancestry, payment source or any other factor that is illegally discriminatory or not related to bona fide requirements of care.
PROSCRIPTION: The Nursing Home 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 • Individuals shall maintain high standards of professional competence.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The Nursing Home 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 Nursing Home 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 • Individuals 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 Nursing Home Administrator shall:
- Avoid partisanship and provide a forum for the fair resolution of any disputes that may arise in service delivery or facility management.
- Disclose to the governing body or any 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 Nursing Home 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.
Adapted and adopted by NYS BENHA with permission from the American College of Health Care Administrators [11/2001]
