Organizational Professionalism
Organizational Professionalism is the concept that a set of competencies and behaviors define professionalism for health care organizations, just as they do for individual professionals. Many physicians have reported that they have difficulty living up to the principles of the Physician Charter on Medical Professionalism because of structural factors in their practice environment. Health care organizations have an opportunity to influence the behavior of not just physicians, but other professionals and non-professionals that work within them. The resulting culture could have profound effects on the healing process for patients.
Moreover, health care organizations can impact population health in ways that individuals cannot. They can collaborate with other health care, governmental, and community organizations to affect the social determinants of health as well as other factors that create healthy communities.
This concept lays the foundation for diverse entities: patients, health care workers, professionals, communities, and health care institutions to collaborate in the creation of a healthy society.
A multistakeholder group has developed a Charter on Professionalism for Healthcare Organizations, which may serve as a roadmap for health care organizations to implement these principles.
TFME supports and endorses the Charter for Professionalism in Health Care Organizations. We are happy to help you develop customized programming for your organization and health system. Please contact us with your questions and ideas.
Health care organizations that endorse the Charter support its general principles and pledge to find ways to implement its specific commitments. No organization can embody all the behaviors described by the Charter, which is an aspirational document. Instead, model health care organizations actively employ strategies to make its ideals a reality.
Legacy Health, August 2017
American Nurses Association, September 2017
Academy on Communication in Healthcare, October 2017
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), October 2017
Northwell Health, November 2017
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, November 2017
Hofstra/Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, November 2017
National Minority Quality Forum, December 2017
Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care, December 2017
Council of Medical Specialty Societies, April 2018
Oregon Health & Science University, April 2018
Patient Advocate Foundation, October 2018
National Patience Advocate Foundation, October 2018
Center for Patient Partnerships, October 2018
PatientsLikeMe, October 2018
The following activities by health care organizations embody the principles of the Organizational Professionalism Charter.
A representative of the organization is asked to describe in a paragraph the nature of the activity and to specify the commitment that it fulfills. Your organization can be listed by applying to The Foundation for Medical Excellence. Send a paragraph including the above and a link to activity that can be viewed by interested readers to info@tfme.org. In the subject line, specify “Organizational Professionalism Activity.”
A panel will assess each submission. In addition each year starting in 2018, annual recognition will be awarded by the panel to the most impactful activity.
Unity Center for Behavioral Health (Added April 18, 2018)
- Medical Professionalism in the New Millenium: A Physician Charter
- Organizational Professionalism: Relevant Competencies and Behaviors. Egener, B., McDonald, W., Rosof, B, Gullen, D. Acad Med. 2012;87:668-674. (seminal article).
- The Charter on Professionalism for Health Care Organizations (includes the Charter) Egener, B., Mason, D.J., McDonald, W.J, Okun, S., Gaines, M.E., Fleming, D.A., Rosof, B.M., Gullen, D., Andresen, M. Acad Med. 2017;92:1091-1099.
- Professionalism Charter Provides Guidance to Health Care Organizations in These Troubled Times. Fleming, D.A., McDonald, W.J. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166(9):665-666.
- Achieving Professionalism in Health Care Organizations. John R. Griffin. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1062860617712449
- Professionalism in Health Care Organizations, Diana Mason, JAMA. 2017;317:1203-1204.
- A New Charter on Professionalism and Health Care Organizations. Andresen, M. and Mason, D.J. AJN. 2017;117:11.
- Passing the torch: a proposed amendment to “A Physician Charter.” Angoff, N.R. and Fortin, A.H. Medical Teacher. 2013;35:328-329.
Please contact Dr. Singer for questions or referrals for organizational consulting.
Winner of the 2017 John Benson, Jr., MD Professionalism Article Prize!
The Academic Medicine article that contains the Charter has been recognized by the ABIM Foundation prize committee. The ABIM Foundation created the Professionalism Article Prize in 2011 to recognize outstanding contributions to the growing body of peer-reviewed journal articles that document the impact of medical professionalism on improving health care. The Charter article won the 2017 prize in the commentary category.
How to use the Charter
Individuals who share the goals of the Charter and want to take action can:
- Share it with the executive leadership of your organization and your board of directors. Discuss how the charter can guide the organization to improve its performance. Endorse the Charter to be listed on this website.
- Develop projects that exemplify various Charter commitments and request to have that activity listed on this website.
- Write about successes in using the charter to guide performance improvement to journals such as JAMA that has a designated column on professionalism, and submit your best success for the annual award from The Foundation for Medical Excellence
- Speak to colleagues about the Charter and sent them copies of the Charter or links to this website.
- Request that your professional organization(s) endorse the charter.