Code of Maine Rules › 02 - DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL AND FINANCIAL REGULATION › 371 - NURSING HOME ADMINISTRATORS LICENSING BOARD › Chapter 11 - CODE OF ETHICS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
PREAMBLE - The preservation of the highest standards of
				integrity and ethical principles is vital to the successful discharge of the
				professional responsibilities of all Administrators. This Code of Ethics has
				been adapted nearly verbatim from the Code of Ethics of the American College of
				Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) with that organization's permission. Copies
				of the ACHCA Code, published in 1989, are available at cost from the Office of
				Licensing & Registration of the Department of Professional & Financial
				Regulation. It shall be the obligation of Administrators 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 Board adopts the following Code of Ethics to make clear its
				expectations.
EXPECTATION I
Administrators shall hold paramount the welfare of persons for
				whom care is provided.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The 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 or other
				constraints.
Operate 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
				shall earn the confidence, trust, and respect of the general public.
Take appropriate steps to avoid discrimination on basis of
				race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, handicap, marital status,
				ancestry, or any other factor that is illegally discriminatory or not related
				to bona fide requirements of quality care.
PROSCRIPTION: The 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
Administrators shall maintain high standards of professional
				competence.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The 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 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
Administrators 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 Administrator shall:
Avoid partisanship and provide a forum for the fair resolution
				of any disputes which may arise in service delivery or facility
				management.
Disclose to the governing body or 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 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.
EXPECTATION IV
Administrators shall honor their responsibilities to the
				public, their profession, and their relationships with colleagues and members
				of related professions.
PRESCRIPTIONS: The Administrator shall:
Foster increased knowledge within the profession of health care
				administration and support research efforts toward this end.
Participate with others in the community to plan for and
				provide a full range of health care services.
Share areas of expertise with colleagues, students, and the
				general public to increase awareness and promote understanding of health care
				in general and the profession in particular.
Inform the Board's Complaint Committee of actual or potential
				violations of this Code of Ethics, and fully cooperate with the Board's
				sanctioned inquiries into matters of professional conduct related to this Code
				of Ethics.
PROSCRIPTION: The Administrator shall not:
Defend, support, or ignore unethical conduct perpetrated by
				colleagues, peers or students.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 32 M.R.S.A Chapter 2, §
				  63-B(2)