Harvard Cites Ethics Initiative as One of Top 25

WASHINGTON – The ethics program used by the Department of Veterans Affairs to handle issues affecting its patients is a semi-finalist for the prestigious “Innovations in Government” award from Harvard University for the third time in a decade.

“This honor is a tribute to the men and women who care for our sick and injured veterans, and to VA’s health care system, which is leading the industry in so many sectors,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.  “In VA, we view ethics as an integral part of health care services to Veterans, which helps define VA’s health care excellence in the 21^st century.”

VA’s ethics program, officially known as Integrated Ethics, is a practical and comprehensive model for organizational ethics that was developed by VA’s National Center for Ethics in Health Care.  In 2007, the IE was implemented at 152 VA medical centers and 21 regional networks across the country.

The annual award for excellence and creativity in the public sector is sponsored by Harvard University’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Kennedy School of Government.

The top 25 programs were selected from approximately 500 entries.  In the fall, five finalists and one winner of the Innovations in Government award will be announced.

The Integrated Ethics model uses an image of an iceberg to illustrate the concept of “ethics quality,” according to Dr. Ellen Fox, chief ethics in health care officer and chief architect of the Integrated Ethics model.

“At the tip of the iceberg are ethical decisions and actions that can be easily seen,” Fox said. “Beneath the surface are organizational systems and processes that drive behavior. Deeper still are the organization’s environment and culture, which are the foundation for everything else.”

“Many ethics programs tend to be reactive,” said Melissa Bottrell, chief of integrated ethics for VA’s health care system. “They focus mainly on the tip of the iceberg.  But to create real and lasting organizational change, an ethics program must proactively address all three levels.”

In 2006, VA received the Innovations Award for its advanced electronic health records and performance measurement system, and in 2001, for its National Center for Patient Safety.  VA was a 1995 finalist for reengineering ambulatory care with a primary care program.