Code of Ethics
The Friendship Haven Code of Ethics states the general ethical principles and standards of conduct adopted by the Board of Directors to guide the organization and the persons who perform responsibilities on its behalf, in the conduct of the organization’s business practices and operations. This Code of Ethics shall be applied impartially and consistently to all members of the organization, regardless of status or position, including members of the Board of Directors, employees, and agents of Friendship Haven.
It is Friendship Haven’s policy to report any information pertaining to any known or suspected violation of Friendship Haven’s privacy standards or the laws and regulations governing Friendship Haven. Although we ask you to provide your name, it is not necessary for you to do so if you wish to remain anonymous. All reports can be made by filling out the form below and mailing it to the Privacy Officer at Friendship Haven or calling the hotline number:
Grievance Hotline: 515-573-6255
Confidential Report of Concern
Standard No. 1
Friendship Haven Shall Strive to Enhance the Quality of Life of All Residents.
We are committed to providing housing and residential services to seniors in a way that adds quality and security to their lifestyle.
We are committed to caring for our health center residents in a manner and in an environment that will promote the maintenance or enhancement of the quality of life of each resident.
We are committed to providing quality services to all persons served by Friendship Haven through qualified employees and contractors who meet the professional standards and principles of their profession.
Standard No. 2
Friendship Haven Shall Strive to Provide Quality Health Care Services.
We are committed to caring for our health center residents with compassion and respect for their inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of their health problems.
We are committed to providing care and services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of our health center residents, in accordance with resident assessments and individual plans of care.
We will provide equal access to quality care to all health center residents, regardless of source of payment.
Standard No. 3
Friendship Haven Shall Strive to Protect the Legal Rights of its Residents and Employees.
We will not deny residency to qualified applicants, or unlawfully discriminate against residents in the quality or availability of services or facilities, because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, or national origin.
We will respect and promote a resident’s legal rights during a stay in the health center, including the right to a dignified existence, the right to self-determination, and the right to reasonable accommodation of individual needs.
We will respect and promote a health center resident’s right of free choice, including the right to choose a personal attending physician; the right to be fully informed in advance of care and treatment; and, when capable, the right to participate in planning care and treatment.
We will strive to protect a resident’s confidential health information from unlawful use or disclosure.
We will not tolerate mistreatment, neglect, or abuse of our residents, or misappropriation or theft of resident property.
We will not refuse to hire qualified applicants for employment, or unlawfully discriminate against employees with respect to compensation, promotion, discharge, or other terms, conditions or privileges of employment, because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, or national origin.
We will strive to maintain a working environment free from sexual harassment or intimidation.
We will not subject an employee to disciplinary action, harassment, or any other manner of discrimination for filing a good faith complaint against a member of the organization alleging a violation of the organization’s policies and standards.
We will not discriminate or retaliate against any resident or employee who cooperates in an investigation of a compliance concern involving Friendship Haven.
Standard No. 4
Friendship Haven Shall Strive to Conduct its Business in a Manner that is Truthful, Honest and Accurate.
We will not knowingly make any false or fraudulent statement or representation of a material fact in any application for benefits or any claim for payment under the Medicare or Medicaid program.
We will not willfully and knowingly submit any claim for payment to the Medicare or Medicaid program or to a private health plan, which is false, fraudulent, inaccurate or fictitious in any material way. Claims for payment will be submitted only for covered items or services actually rendered to eligible residents, based on accurate codes and information; for items or services that were medically necessary as ordered by a resident’s physician and provided by appropriately credentialed personnel; for services meeting required minimum standards of care; and for services properly documented, dated, and signed in the resident’s medical record.
We will not willfully and knowingly file a duplicate claim for payment with more than one payor source for the purpose of receiving double payments.
We will promptly investigate any known errors in claims for payment and will report any overpayment of benefits paid to Friendship Haven to the fiscal intermediary or carrier responsible for processing claims and issuing payments under the Medicare or Medicaid program.
We will not willfully and knowingly certify, or cause another to certify, a material and false statement in an assessment of a health center resident’s functional capacity.
We will strive to prepare all organizational documents and records, including licensure applications, employment applications, disclosure statements, utilization and itemization reports, cost reports, reports filed with government agencies, claims for payment, resident assessments, medical records, timekeeping records, and invoices in a manner that is truthful, accurate, complete, and timely.
Standard No. 5
Friendship Haven Shall Strive to Avoid Activities that Conflict with the Best Interests of the Organization.
We will not solicit or receive any gift of more than nominal value from residents, from persons or businesses providing or seeking to provide goods or services to Friendship Haven, or from other individuals or entities with whom Friendship Haven has a business relationship, except as specifically permitted by the organization’s written policies and procedures.
We will strive to perform our responsibilities with undivided loyalty to Friendship Haven and to avoid activities that may injure or take advantage of the organization.
We will strive to protect the organization’s confidential and proprietary information from unauthorized use or disclosure, and will respect the intellectual property rights of others with whom the organization does business.
We will strive to protect the organization’s physical property and will not access, remove, or destroy the organization’s property without prior authorization from management.
Standard No. 6
Friendship Haven Shall Not Engage in Unethical or Illegal Business Transactions or Relationships.
We will not offer or pay any money or other consideration, including gifts, items or services for free (or for less than fair market value), or waivers of coinsurance or deductible amounts to a prospective resident eligible for benefits under the Medicare or Medicaid program when we know or suspect that such an offer or payment is likely to influence the prospective resident to purchase items or services from Friendship Haven.
We will not exercise undue influence upon a resident for the purpose of securing a gift, donation, or inheritance.
We will not solicit, receive, offer, or pay any money or other consideration (including gifts, kickbacks, bribes, or rebates) in exchange for the referral of residents for items or services reimbursable under the Medicare or Medicaid program. Payments by Friendship Haven to a potential referral source will be properly documented and reflect payment for legitimate services rendered at fair market value.
We will not solicit, receive, offer, or pay any money or other consideration (including gifts, kickbacks, bribes, or rebates) in exchange for the purchasing or leasing of goods or services reimbursable under the Medicare or Medicaid program, except as specifically permitted by the organization’s written policies and procedures.
We will not engage in any business activities for the purpose of suppressing free competition.
Standard No. 7
Friendship Haven Shall Strive to Comply with All Applicable Laws and Regulations.
We will strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing the organization, including the policies and procedures adopted by Friendship Haven.
We will promptly report all known or suspected violations of the Code of Ethics, the Corporate Compliance Program policies and procedures, departmental policies and procedures, or laws and regulations to management or to a member of the Corporate Compliance Committee, in accordance with the organization’s reporting procedures.
We will cooperate with governmental agencies and law enforcement personnel investigating a compliance concern involving Friendship Haven.
Corporate Compliance Concern
The purpose of this form is to report the facts pertaining to any known or suspected violation of Friendship Haven’s privacy standards or the laws and regulations governing Friendship Haven and suggest a lack of compliance with those laws and/or regulations. This form may also be used to bring a situation to the Ethics Committee for review. The Ethics Committee only reviews situations where there is no clear governance or guidance from laws or regulations. Although we ask you to provide your name, it is not necessary for you to do so if you wish to make an anonymous report. An anonymous report can be made by completing this form and mailing it to the Director of Corporate Compliance/Privacy Officer at FriendshipHaven or calling the hotline number at (515)573-6255 and leaving a message outlining your complaint. If you do not want to give your name, you may call theDirector of Corporate Compliance/Privacy Officer within one week of submitting this report to inquire about the outcome of the investigation at (515)573-6250. If you wish to identify yourself in this report, Friendship Haven will make every effort to keep your identity confidential, unless you give Friendship Haven permission to reveal it. Only the Director of Corporate Compliance/Privacy Officer, and others designated by the Director of Corporate Compliance/Privacy Officer, will have access to your report. No disciplinary action or retaliation will be taken against you for making a good-faith report of a compliance violation. Please include all the factual details of the suspected violation to ensure there is information necessary to conduct a thorough investigation. Please attach additional pages as needed. The information that you provide should include names, dates, times, places, and a detailed description of the incident(s)that led you to believe that a violation has occurred. Please include a copy or a description of any documents that support your concerns.