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Unit 4
By Tami Ford, M.A.
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Tami Ford, M.A.
Adjunct Faculty
School of Health Sciences
Kaplan University
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Chapter 4: Ethical Standards
 “Ethics is the formal study of moral choices that
conform to standards of conduct. Ethics is often
thought of as listening to one’s conscience” (McWay,
2008, p. 75).
 “Law…is a body of rules of actions or conduct
prescribed by controlling authority that has binding
legal force” (McWay, 2008, p. 75).
 “Autonomy refers to independence, self-
determination, or freedom” (McWay, 2008, p. 76).
Legal and Ethical Issues
 Distinguishing between the two can be problematic.
 An ethical issue is when:
 There is no obvious right or wrong
 The enforcement of the law does not appear to bring
about justice
 Right behavior appears to bring about a wrong effect
 Personal sacrifice is the consequence of following ideals.
One can also distinguish by looking at consequences,
and if the focus of a choice is external or internal
(McWay, 2008, p. 76).
Autonomy
 “Consists of three main elements:
 The ability to decide
 The individual must possess the power to actualize or
implement the decisions she makes
 A respect for the individual autonomy of others”
(McWay, 2008, p. 77).
Ethical Decision Making
 Codes of Ethics
 “Are important because they identify for the broader
community what the professional association defines as
the basic and ethical and moral standards to which
standards must adhere” (McWay, 2008, p. 81).
Bioethical Issues
 “Bioethics is the study of ethical issues that result from
technologic and scientific advances, especially in
biology and medicine” (McWay, 2008, p. 87).
 HCPs should be aware of bioethical issues because “It
is virtually impossible for an individual to function in
the modern health care world…Without such
knowledge, the health care provider cannot protect
both patients and providers adequately” (McWay,
2008, p. 87).
Conflict of Interest
 “A conflict of interest is the clash between an
individual’s selfish interests and her obligation to an
organization or group” (McWay, 2008, p. 93).
 “Potential conflicts are those conflicts that give the
appearance of harm or impropriety without resulting
in the harm or impropriety itself” (McWay, 2008, p.
93).
 “Actual conflicts are those conflicts that go beyond
appearance and actually involve the impropriety and
harm” (McWay, 2008, p. 93).
Ethics and Supervision
 “The supervisor plays three direct ethical roles in an
organization:
 Serving as a role model
 Encouraging ethical behavior
 Monitoring employee conduct” (McWay, 2008, p. 94).
Ethical Challenges
 Health Information Management
 “The most frequent ethical challenges center on the
coding-reimbursement connection, quality review,
information security, data resource management, and
the protection of sensitive information, including
genetic, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health, and
sexual abuse information” (McWay, 2008, p. 96).
Continued-Ethical Challenges
 Health Information Management & Third Parties
 “Some third parties seek inappropriate access to genetic,
adoption, or behavioral health information. Others,
such as vendors, may seek to be paid for work not
performed” (McWay, 2008, p. 96).
Steps in Ethical Decision Making
 Table 4-2 lists 9 steps.
 For the health information manager, “additional steps
include:
 Turning to colleagues for a so-called ‘reality check’
 Document the situation
 Address the situation through the organizational hierarchy,
and if necessary…the organization’s ethics committee
 Seek expert advice for a local health information management
chapter or AHIMA” (McWay, 2008, p. 97).
Reference:
McWay, D.C. (2008). Today's health information management: An integrated approach. Clifton Park, NY:
Delmar Cengage Learning.
Questions?
Thank you and good night