JCAHO. Important ethical requirements imposed on hospitals by the JCAHO are associated with the following activities and responsibilities (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations, 1996a):
Since 1991 the JCAHO has required all hospitals to have in place procedures and resources to deal with ethical issues related to patient care. The standards on patient rights were supplemented in 1995 with the requirement that hospitals address issues related to organizational ethics. Organizational ethics requires a hospital to conduct "business relationships with patients and the public in an ethical manner" (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 1997, p. RI-1).
The patient rights ethical standards not only require that hospitals respect a patient's rights to adequate, respectful care, confidentiality and informed consent, but also require that hospitals educate their patients and staff members about patient rights and the mechanisms in place for the patient or the patient's proxy to obtain relief if the HCO fails to live up to its responsibility to the patient.
Among the key standards of patient rights are the following (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 1997):
1. The hospital must address ethical issues in providing patient care.
2. Patients must be involved in all aspects of their care.
4. Patients must be involved in resolving dilemmas about care decisions.
5. The hospital must demonstrate respect for the following patient needs:
Additionally, a hospital must operate according to a code of ethical behavior. The code of ethical behavior required by the JCAHO covers marketing, admission, transfer and discharge, and billing practices (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 1997). The code of ethical behavior also addresses the relationship between a hospital and its staff members to other health care providers, educat...