February 16, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) supports the Charter on Professionalism for Health Care Organizations, a code of ethics for institutional behavior to help guide people working in health care organizations.
NCQA understands that while we can measure many aspects of health care quality, we all count on practitioners and organizations to be guided by ethical principles that are harder to measure.
The Charter on Professionalism for Health Care Organizations is a statement of personal and organizational commitment that encompasses those “hard to measure” aspects of health care such as providing care that respects and responds to patient preferences, needs and values; organizational cultures that promote trust in leadership; building community partnerships; value-based, mission-driven business practices.
This charter was developed by the Organizational Professional Working Group, composed of medical professionals and patients and chaired by Barry E. Egener, MD, Medical Director, Foundation for Medical Excellence. People from across the health care spectrum – practitioners, administrators, consumer advocates and others weighed in.
“I support the charter because at its core are the principles for encouraging excellence and achieving outstanding quality, not only in the health care organization, but in the broader community, as well,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA President. “More than a guide for health care organizations, this charter aligns with NCQA’s work to support care coordination where health systems and health care and community organizations work together to address the diverse factors that affect people’s health.”
This charter for health care organizations is built on the Physician Charter on Medical Professionalism, created in 2002 to help guide decision making of physicians. With this new charter, the Working Group is acknowledging the changes in health care and addressing the growing need for guidance within health care organizations and the people who work there.
NCQA is an organization that values measurement as a tool to improve quality. We appreciate the importance of professionalism in quality health care and congratulate the Working Group on creating the charter.
More information on the Charter on Professionalism for Health Care Organizations can be found here.