The Montefiore Code of Ethics is an explicit statement of the ethical principles to which Montefiore Medical Center is committed. It is designed to build those principles into decision making at all levels of the institution.
The Code grew out of our recognition that health care organizations have enormous impact on what health services are available in a community, to what groups of people, and whose needs are not being adequately met. How health care organizations make their decisions is of critical importance to the entire community.
Montefiore concluded that a code of ethics could be of tremendous help. It would help assure that ethical principles would govern our decision making such that all community groups had their needs and concerns examined when precious and limited resources were being allocated. With the help of Montefiore’s long-established Division of Bioethics, we created the Montefiore Code of Ethics. We believe it is the first organizational ethics code developed by a hospital anywhere in the United States.
With this code, Montefiore is leading the way to a new level of ethical scrutiny of institutional decision making and setting the stage for how hospitals across the country make difficult choices. We hope you agree this is an important step toward improving the nation’s health care.
Steven M. Safyer, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Read the Montefiore Code of Ethics
© 2009 Montefiore Medical Center