As mentioned in my discussion, Health Information Coding Supervisors are trusted individuals who have access to an organization’s highly confidential security system. A misrepresentation of this position can lead to significant consequences because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (Prophet, 2015). Criminal penalties imposed on individuals who knowingly and willfully attempt to execute a scheme to defraud any health care benefit program can be up to 10 years imprisonment and possibly life imprisonment depending on the circumstances. Civil monetary penalties can lead to $2000 to $10,000 for each fraudulent payment received. After imagining I was a coding supervisor, I will provide answers throughout the paper to the following questions: 1. What emphasis would you place on the Standards of Ethical Coding in your area? 2. Would you include the Standards of Ethical Coding in your policy and procedure manual? 3. Would you review the Standards of Ethical Coding on a regular basis and if yes, how often? 4. What disciplinary action would you take if you found that a coder violated the Standards of Ethical Coding? 5. Would the severity of the disciplinary action depend on which standard was violated? Why or why not? 6. How do imperfections in coding affect the budget preparation of health care organizations? 7. How might it also affect the contracts between professional billers and coders and health care organizations? HEALTH
An ethical audit is important to establish the company’s current weaknesses and strengths concerning how it conducts itself in an ethical manner. An ethics audit will involve evaluating the company’s standard of ethic, it ethic climate, and how well the company’s employees follow ethical standards. One of the first things to evaluate in an ethics audit is if a company has a written code of ethics and how comprehensive it is. Moreover, the written code of ethics should apply to everyone in the company from the top down with a clear zero tolerance policy in place for ethics violations. Included in a comprehensive ethics code should be a method for
4.) Employee Compliance to the Code: The entire staff is expected to be compliant to the rules and regulations set forth by Company X. Reported accounts of non-compliance will lead to an internal investigation of both the accuser as well as the accused; disciplinary action will necessarily follow if company rules and regulations have not been adhered to or improperly dismissed. Granted that there are many different situations that could arise in which one would believe unethical behavior or misconduct transpired; therefore, it is suggested that first the issue in question is evaluated before presenting to one’s direct
Under ASCE bylaws, all ASCE members are required to comply with the Code of Ethics and to report any observed violations. The Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC) reviews and investigates complaints in accordance with its rules of procedure. If the CPC finds that an ethics violation has occurred and that disciplinary actions are appropriate, it will forward its recommendations to ASCE's Executive Committee or Board of Direction for a formal hearing on the
As a supervisor, introducing and emphasizing the Standards of Ethical Coding during our meetings is critical and would be done on a regular basis. During the meetings explaining the disciplinary actions that would take place if misconduct would arise. (Ritter, 2016) As a supervisor, understanding mistakes will happen but, intentional mistakes are not acceptable. Coders have to realize that their mistakes cost the patient, hospital, physicians, and stakeholders money. (Miscoe,
The Standards of Ethical Coding are based on the American Health Information Management Association 's (AHIMA 's) Code of Ethics. Both sets of philosophies show what the expectations of practiced conduct for coding is for professionals involved in diagnostic and/or procedural coding or other health record data (AHIMA House of Delegates) . In any area of the healthcare field, you must be careful to remain ethical at all times. Even when you are at home. You can’t just talk about patients. We all know that saying “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” It is the same concept in the workplace. “What happens in the workplace stays in the workplace.”
If I happen to see a colleague violating this code, I would gently approach them and remind them of the code of ethics. Perhaps, I would give them some advice on how I would handle the current situation. If I continue to see this colleague violating the code of ethics, I would raise awareness to a supervisor.
The Code of Ethics “offers a set of values, principles and standards to guide decision making and conduct when ethical issue arise…specific applications of the Code must take into account the context in which it is
Different organizations are driven by specific sets of code of ethics, which are used to protect many different aspect of the organizations, specifically the client, counselor, and organization. Concerning the standards of a counselor, their ethics are not only provided by the laws of the state or their practice, but also outside sources who present basic values and regulations of ethical standards in their code of ethics. This paper will look at two specific associations: the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Association
In the workplace as well as one’s personal life is essential for ethics to be maintained; often taking the right action is not always the most popular choice. It is important for maintaining an upstanding ethical code of conduct to be a productive individual as well as function as an employee in the workplace.
Having a personal code of ethics is very important to me since it defines who I am and what my beliefs are. My ethical code symbolizes who I am as an individual as a result of my moral, religious, intellectual and cultural upbringing. One of my greatest wishes is for my personality and actions to clearly define my code of ethics, without me verbalizing or someone else reading it on a document. Some questions that I would like others to ask and come up with their own answers without being doubtful and uncertain are: Is she an honest person? Is she a leader or a follower? Does she practice what she preaches? Does she exercise a love for God? These are the questions and answers that should reflex my
Ethical Codes are in use today by many organizations to clearly establish their values and provide a procedure if a code violation occurs. Medical ethics began as a professional code for physicians and has now expanded and includes a variety of health care professions and health care organizations. The growth of medical knowledge and technology have grown so have the concerns that ethical standards and issues facing our society today may be compromised or not appropriately addressed (Littleton et al., 2010).
6. All employees will be open in attitude and action toward all persons regardless of race, creed, social class, religious beliefs, lifestyle, or position or influence within the organization and community.
It is one thing to establish a code of ethical conduct for an organization in the public sector, but it is quite another to really impress upon all employees the importance of living up to that code of conduct. What makes a code of conduct and how can management be assured that all employees understand the code and follow it's values and guidelines? How do not-for-profit professions stack up against for-profit professionals when it comes to ethics? This paper delves into codes of conduct in the public and sector and provides a review of several scholarly articles that present specific instances where codes of conduct are part of the workplace culture.
A code of ethics is a set of written principles regarding conduct and behavior created by the organization to serve as a guide. The purpose of ethical codes is to give its employees, management, and any interested party a reference point that adheres to company policy, standards, and ethical beliefs. The code is made visible to the public to ensure professional integrity, quality, and to prevent misguided conduct. Regardless of the organization or governing body a code serves as a go-to guide because ethical issues can stem from anywhere at any given time. The Code of Ethics for Nurses is so dynamic because as technology changes, so does the code to ensure that updated knowledge is provided to healthcare workers as they address new ethical
This further creates confusion, as there is no set “minimum” of disciplinary actions that justly matches the violation. Some are fired immediately while others are subject to disciplinary actions based on the institution’s policies and bylaws.